Tell Me Lies
by Ugly-Girl
Summary: Diana tries to cope with the events in her life after her exile, and new feelings for one of her teammates. Sappy shipfic warning. Finally moved from DC Superheroes section.
1. Parts 1 & 2

Tell Me Lies

By Ugly_Girl

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction that infringes upon copyrights and characters owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. This author (nor anyone else) is making no money, nor receiving any type of compensation for this work. 

This fanfic is based in the Justice League animated universe. All bastardization of characterizations is mine. 

Rated PG

PART I

Diana sipped her iced mocha, and decided to spend her last few dollars on the entrance fee to the Gotham Art Museum. Superman had lent her some cash when he found out that she wanted to do some exploring, and she had enjoyed visiting various cities on the Eastern seaboard. Gotham was her last stop; her stomach was full from all the new foods she had eaten – New York cheesecake was a new favorite – and she was almost out of money. She would have stayed in the city a little longer and done some sightseeing without money, but she had monitor duty in a couple of hours, and she wanted to make sure that she had time to go through the entire museum before making the trip to the Watchtower. 

She'd had a wonderful day. Although she hadn't exactly fit in all the places she had visited – even wearing jeans and a t-shirt she was too tall and too strikingly beautiful to go without notice – she had felt comfortable, at ease for the first time in Man's World since leaving Themyscira. 

Since she had been exiled from Themyscira. 

Diana frowned and tossed the now-empty drink container into a recycling bin before entering the museum. She wouldn't let those painful thoughts intrude on her day, she told herself. Today was to discover more about Man's World, not dwell on the past. 

She was a dollar short for the entrance fee, but the man behind her smiled and offered her the money, flirting a little. She decided not to get upset over his forwardness, but thanked him instead, accepting the dollar but not returning the flirtatious smile. 

"Thank you," she said graciously. At his expectant look, she added, "I hope you won't feel offended if, despite my acceptance of your currency, I tour the museum on my own." 

The man looked a little disappointed, but replied easily, "Not at all, I'm just happy to help." 

"Thank you," she said again, and looked at the museum map, deciding to visit the ancient Greek section first. As she wound her way through the halls, she thought about the man, and how her upbringing on Themyscira had not prepared her for his, or any other man's, kindness. Yes, she had met men as evil as she had been warned of, but she had also met very many good men: Superman, J'onn, Batman, Green Lantern, the Flash. Thinking of Batman now, her mouth quirked into a smile. What would he think, she wondered, if he knew that she was in his city? She imagined his reaction: he would tell her, in as few words as possible, that she should leave. 

"Get out," he would simply say, his voice rough. Or, "Go back to the Watchtower, Diana." No, that would be too many words, she thought, and chuckled under her breath. She knew that he used his harsh tone to intimidate the rest of the league, but it never intimidated her. She'd seen him care about too many people, save too many people, including her; underneath that forbidding exterior, Diana was convinced that Batman was a softie. A softie with a lot of secrets, and some very dangerous martial arts skills, but a softie nonetheless. 

She looked down and consulted her map, turned a corner, and ran into a very hard chest. She didn't stumble, but the man whom she ran into was knocked backwards a foot, barely catching himself from falling by grabbing her arm for balance. 

Diana didn't even think: she took his hand off her arm, turned and threw him to the ground. He landed on his back with a thud and a whoosh of breath; her eyes widened and she went down on her knees beside him, immediately apologizing. 

"Oh, Great Hera, I am so very sorry. It was an automatic reaction—are you hurt?" She didn't think she had used very much strength, but when a move was instinctual like that, it was hard to tell. She began running her hands over him, remembering all of the healing skills that she had been taught on Themyscira. 

"Do you hurt anywhere?" she asked as she prodded at his ribs, his wrist. "Here?" The man shook his head and tried to sit up, but she held him down easily, her voice gentle but brooking no argument. "No, don't try to move until I make sure that you don't have any injuries. What I wouldn't give for x-ray vision right now." She muttered the last, but the man heard her. 

"I'm glad you don't," he said. "You're getting far too good an idea of what my body is like as it is." 

She jerked her hands back, a slight blush staining her cheeks. She had been feeling him all over, without even asking. She wondered briefly if she would be arrested for that; Man's World was so different from Themyscira – what had been an innocent medical examination might be mistaken for sexual harassment or assault. "I'm sorry," she said again, and helped him sit up. She surreptitiously examined his face and eyes for any sign of head trauma, but his color was good, and his pupils dilated normally. She thought she detected a hint of exasperated humor flashing in his eyes before he blinked, and their expression became slightly confused, and a full of male interest. 

"I'm fine," he said. "Just--" 

He was interrupted by the sound of a woman yelling, "Mr. Wayne!" The slap of high heels against tile echoed in the hall; Diana turned to see a woman running toward them, a worried expression on her face. "Mr. Wayne!" The woman skidded to a halt, gave Diana a once over, then gripped one of the man's hands to pull him up. "Are you all right?" 

The man's teeth flashed -- Mr. Wayne's teeth, Diana told herself -- into a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Valerie." He shook off the woman's hand, then used it to brush off his immaculate suit. "I trust that if you find any cracks in the floor from the impact of my body, the check I've just written the museum will cover it." He grinned as he said it, and Valerie laughed softly, her posture changing into something Diana recognized as seductive. 

Diana bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. Women here were, she thought, ridiculous sometimes. Instead of just saying what they wanted directly, they often played games, posing and preening for attention. Not all women, of course, but a lot of them. She turned to look at Mr. Wayne, trying to figure out what the woman was attracted to, and met his eyes with her own. 

"And you are alright?" he asked. 

"Yes." Diana nodded. She thought the man must be handsome by Man's World's standards, but she wasn't sure. He didn't look like any of the movie stars she'd seen on the videos the Flash often played in the Watchtower, but his features were regular, and pleasing. Not boyish like Adonis, but sharper, more masculine. His eyes were a beautiful blue, she decided; not unlike the Arctic sea. "I really must apologize again; I'm afraid I wasn't watching where I was going." 

"Usually, when walking in the museum, visitors tend to walk along the right side of the hall, not the left," Valerie said, not unkindly. 

"Oh," Diana said. The unfamiliarity of Man's World, the strangeness of the little details swept over her, and she suddenly felt very alone, and homesick. 

Valerie was tapping a fingernail against her teeth, ignoring Wayne for the moment, closely examining Diana's features. "Don't I know you? You look so familiar…Wonder Woman!" She snapped her fingers in triumph. 

Diana gave a half smile, not exactly pleased that she had been recognized so easily. 

Mr. Wayne gave a visible start, then his expression changed into something Diana didn't recognize, something that seemed almost…predatory. 

"Wonder Woman?" he repeated. "This beautiful woman who is both my attacker and my healer is Wonder Woman? I am Bruce Wayne, and I am pleased to meet your acquaintance." He had a slick, flirtatious smile pasted on his face as he leaned forward and raised Diana's hand for a brief kiss on her fingers. She resisted the urge to pull it away, kept smiling frozenly as more people gathered around, calling her name. 

She looked at Wayne. So men played games here, too, she realized, and wished that she was far, far away. 

********** 

Diana was in his city. 

He'd known it was her the second she had thrown him to the floor -- there weren't many people who could catch him off-guard like that, and once he had realized what was happening he had let her toss him, or else raise her suspicions that a normal man could defend himself against an Amazonian martial artist. 

But what was she doing in his city? 

Bruce calculated the chances that her presence in the museum would deter the thieves that he knew planned to steal the Picasso on loan from the Louvre that very night, and realized that an entire month's work trying to crack an art theft ring might be wasted if they got spooked by the appearance of a powered hero. So he decided to turn on the Bruce Wayne charm, and get her out of there, one way or another. Knowing Diana, rather than falling for his seductive attempts, she would hit him and leave in anger. 

He'd take either option. A date or a punch, it made no difference to him -- just as long as she left the museum, as long as she got out of Gotham. 

Until, of course, Valerie made him rush things along. 

He noticed Diana's frozen expression upon being recognized, said the trite lines that he said to nearly every beautiful female celebrity that crossed his path, kissed her hand…then swayed. 

"Oh," he said, putting his hand to his head. "Maybe I hit the ground harder than I thought." 

She reacted as he thought she would, scooping him up and declaring, "I'm flying you to the hospital." 

"The closest exit is that way," Valerie said, and pointed. Bruce moaned theatrically and Diana took off, gliding smoothly through the halls and out into the open. Once outside, she paused for a minute, and he realized that she didn't know where the hospital was. He was about to speak up when she said, "Wonder Woman to the Watchtower. Transport me immediately to the med lab." 

******* 

Diana frowned, making sure that she understood him correctly. "You weren't really hurt or dizzy?" She looked at J'onn--who had performed the examination--for confirmation, and he nodded, then glanced away. She thought for a second that J'onn was trying to contain laughter, but then dismissed the notion. She turned back to Bruce Wayne. "Why?" 

He at least had the grace to look abashed, she thought, until he said, "I just wanted some time alone with you," he grinned, "to get to know you better." He raised an eyebrow as he stressed the 'know you better'. "And now that I'm here and we have a beautiful view of Earth, do you want to show me around the Watchtower? I'd like to see everything: the recreation room, the Javelin…your bedroom," he said. 

Diana shook her head. "I don't think so." This man was ridiculous, she thought, but she had to admire his way of saying what he wanted from her. It would have been flattering, if she thought he didn't say these things to every woman he met. 

It took only a few seconds to transport back to Gotham, back in front of the museum. Bruce took the opportunity to outrage her further, hopefully guaranteeing that she would think twice before coming back to Gotham. 

So he kissed her. 

She didn't push him away, or hit him as he had anticipated; but neither did she respond. She was surprised, he could tell, but more curious than offended. 

He pulled away and gave his best playboy smile. "I'll be anticipating your return to Gotham, Wonder Woman." 

"Don't hold your breath, Mr. Wayne," she said, but without anger. As she flew off, he heard her add, "I'll never understand Man's World…" 

Bruce turned, pleased with himself, and realized that a news camera across the street had caught the entire exchange on tape. The reporter rushed over to him. 

"Mr. Wayne, Mr. Wayne! Was that Wonder Woman we just saw?" 

Bruce did his best to keep his playboy face on. "Yes," he said, and grinned wolfishly. 

"Would you like to comment on the nature of your relationship with her?" The reporter pressed. 

And because he was being Bruce Wayne, the playboy, and he had an image to maintain, there was only one thing he could say: "Diana and I are sleeping toge--I mean, dating." 

PART II 

"You were in my city today," Batman growled. 

Diana looked up from the book she was reading -- The Iliad, Batman noted -- and arched an eyebrow. "So?" 

"Your presence at the museum nearly jeopardized an investigation. Next time, inform me of your movements in Gotham." 

Diana put the book down. "Was your investigation compromised?" 

Batman could see that she was angry with him. Good. Better she was angry at him than letting her get too close. "No, but it might have been." 

"Then go stick a pole up your--" She said something that she must have picked up from Hawkgirl, and Batman's eyes widened in surprise underneath his mask, and he had to keep himself from laughing. Hearing the beautiful, regal princess swearing at him was something he had never expected, and he had to admire her guts on saying it to HIM. "And," she added, "I'll come to Gotham whenever it pleases me, and I won't inform you." 

He opened his mouth to reply, to let her know in no uncertain terms that her behavior was unacceptable, but she held up her hand, looking past him. She hit a button on the console, and a reporters voice filled the room. 

Batman turned to the television screen that they used to monitor Earth's news, and saw footage of him--Bruce Wayne--kissing Diana. 

"In other news, a romance is brewing between the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and Wonder Woman. A Gotham news station caught this exchange between the two lovebirds, and when asked for details, Bruce Wayne admitted that the two were intimate." The screen filled with his face, his voice saying, "Diana and I are sleeping toge--I mean, dating." 

The news changed then, and Batman turned to look at Diana, and felt swamped with guilt. She had her head buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking. He wondered if the pressure of her exile, her unfamiliarity with Man's World was suddenly too much, especially now with Bruce Wayne destroying her reputation. He felt a pang in his chest at the thought that it had been him to cause her that much pain. He had never seen her cry. 

"Diana, I--" he began, his voice gentler than it had been. But he stopped when she lifted her head and he saw that she wasn't sobbing, but laughing. 

"Besides, Batman," she said, pointing at the screen, "It looks as though I'll be visiting Gotham often, since I've apparently got a boyfriend there." Her laughter slowly subsided, and Batman clenched his jaw, unsure of what to do or say -- what could he do without giving away his identity? -- and stalked over to one of the machines in the room, inserting a sample for chemical analysis. He had expected her to rage, to get angry when she found out what Bruce Wayne had said, but humor? It seemed there was more to the beautiful princess than his careful observations had made him aware. 

Hawkgirl burst into the room, saw Diana, and screeched, "Bruce Wayne?! Diana, what were you thinking?" 

Batman watched out of the corner of his eye as Diana put her book down once again, and said with real innocence, "Why? Is he a villain? Someone I should have been fighting? J'onn didn't seem to find him evil when I brought him here to the med lab." 

Hawkgirl shook her head. "No, silly, he's just the richest man in the world, and a womanizer to boot. He goes through girls like he does his ties, a different one every day." 

Not quite that many, Batman thought. 

Hawkgirl continued, "I can see why he's interested in you, Diana, but you are not in his league at all. He'll use you, then toss you away." 

But at least he tosses them away gently, Batman mused. And with a nice bauble or two. 

Making a disgusted noise, Hawkgirl said, "Sure, he's rich, but he's not in it for a relationship, Diana. He just wants to get in your panties -- uh, uniform." 

You'd be surprised at how many women Bruce Wayne never makes it to first base with, Batman added silently. 

"And," Hawkgirl's voice dropped to a near whisper, "he's been cleared of all charges, but he was a fugitive for most of last year for the murder of his girlfriend. He may be crazy. Unstable." 

Crazy and unstable? Batman thought that over, then decided that most people would agree with her -- but not in the way that they thought. The real Bruce Wayne didn't kill women, but he did dress in tights and beat up criminals. And keep away from nearly all human interaction. 

"He didn't seem crazy to me," Diana replied. "I found him charming, in a lecherous sort of way." 

Batman scowled, even though her response had been exactly what he had intended when he'd first tricked her into believing he was hurt, and then kissing her. 

"In any case," Diana said, picking up her book once again, "you don't have to worry. The news blew the entire incident out of proportion. We aren't dating. I think that Mr. Wayne was just trying to be funny." 

"Or trying to convince everyone that he has a huge penis by claiming to sleep with Wonder Woman," Hawkgirl muttered. 

Batman winced. 

Diana frowned. "How would claiming to be intimate with me change the size of a body organ?" 

"It's symbolic, Diana." Hawkgirl laughed, and said, "You wouldn't believe how many things make a man think he has a huge penis: fast cars, power tools, lots of toys, pretty girls with big breasts." She arched an eyebrow Batman's way, and said, "Hey, Batman, you have a fast car with a big engine and a lot of other toys. Are you making up for anything?" 

"A lack of professionalism and confidence in my teammates," Batman said, voice harsh. 

Diana and Hawkgirl grinned at each other; Batman left as quickly as possible, before he became the target of a female male-bashing contest. He passed the Flash in the hall. 

"Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman could use your help in the monitor room," Batman said. 

Their discussion of men like Bruce Wayne would continue, probably with Flash as a victim, and Hawkgirl would remind Diana why the Amazons didn't want relationships with men; it was what Batman wanted, but he didn't know why the idea bothered him so much. 

******** 

The park was nearly empty, except for a few couples strolling here and there. Diana watched them; she didn't have any illusions about relationships between men and women -- she knew that they were as varied as the relationships between any two people, regardless of gender -- and the couples in the park reflected that: some were obviously happy together, some looked angry at each other, and some looked as if they didn't care if they stayed with the person or left them. 

What they all had, though, and what Diana missed most, was a connection with another person. The connection might be good or bad, but it was a connection, nonetheless. 

She thought of her friends on Themyscira, her mother. She missed them horribly. The Justice League had become her new family, Superman and Hawkgirl very good friends, but she was aware that the basis of their friendship was their job. 

And, she wondered about Man's World. She didn't have any friends who lived on Man's World -- she spent most of her time in the Watchtower, and it felt like the only time she came to Earth was when it was in danger. And when she did come to Earth, most of the people she met wanted to talk about what she did in the Watchtower -- they were interested in Wonder Woman the heroine, not Diana the Amazon, the woman. 

Except for Bruce Wayne, and his interest in the woman part of her had been shallow, at best. 

But still, it had been interest -- it was a place to start. 

An idea formed in her head, and she turned the JL communicator on, cued Hawkgirl. "Hawkgirl, are you there?" 

"I'm here, Diana. What's up?" 

Diana looked up before realizing what Hawkgirl meant -- she still wasn't used to American slang. "How would you like to undertake a secret mission with me?" 

"What mission?" 

Diana took a deep breath. "I want to go…shopping." 

******* 

Bruce pasted a bored look on his face even though he was acutely interested in the outcome of the meeting between Wayne Enterprises and the foreign financial firm. He winked at a secretary, and pretended confusion when business terms were thrown about the table. In the back of his mind, he ran through his plan for the night's patrol, and compiled the evidence in a murder investigation. 

The meeting was running late, so he looked at his watched to give the board members the impression that he was impatient. He didn't have a date lined up for the evening, but they probably assumed he did. 

When the conference room doors burst open, he leapt out of his chair like everyone else; but unlike everyone else, his movement was to make sure that he had room to fight, or escape, depending upon what had knocked the doors open, and immediately tried to list all of the possible criminals who would try to break into a Wayne Enterprises board meeting. 

He didn't expect it to be Diana. 

And he'd never expected Diana to look like she did, standing in the doorway. She was wearing a red silk dress, cut modestly but clinging to every curve on her body. Bruce saw each of the men's faces go slack and dopey because of her outrageous beauty. 

Her eyes focused on Bruce. She smiled. "Mr. Wayne," she said. "You've announced to the world that we are dating--" She flew forward as she spoke, landing directly in front of him. He could smell her perfume, sensual, heady. "--and so I would like to go on a date. Right now." 

He didn't like to rearrange his schedule, but he was surprised at the pleasure the idea of spending the evening with her evoked. He weighed his options. 

"Let's go then," he said finally, put his hand on the small of her back, and ushered her from the room. 

To Be Continued


	2. Parts 3 & 4

Tell Me Lies

By Ugly_Girl

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction that infringes upon copyrights and characters owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. This author (nor anyone else) is making no money, nor receiving any type of compensation for this work. 

This fanfic is based in the Justice League animated universe. All bastardization of characterizations is mine. 

Rated PG

Part III 

"I also told the world that we are sleeping together," Bruce said, his lips tilted in a rakish grin, "Does that mean that you'll want that tonight, too?" 

"It would take a million more of these," Diana replied, pointing to her wine glass. She was relaxed, feeling more confident of her decision. She had had hesitations about what she was doing up to the point she had knocked open his conference room doors, but after an evening in his company she was sure she had done the right thing. "You know, you're not as awful a person as people say." 

He stopped with a forkful of rice halfway to his mouth. "Oh? What do they say?" 

"Well, according to what I've heard about you, I expected to be attacked in the limo within the first five minutes. But you've been the perfect gentleman: keeping your hands to yourself, letting me decide where we go and what we are doing." When he had asked, she had said that she knew that most dates consisted of either a movie, dinner or dancing. When she had told him that she wanted to do all three, he hadn't complained. 

"Well, I usually only attack women after midnight." He said, then wondered aloud, "If you thought I might act like a lunatic, then why the date at all?" 

Her answer surprised him. "I wanted to know what it was like to be a regular woman on Man's World. They shop, they have jobs, they talk to friends, they go on dates. I wondered what it was like." 

"And why me?" He and the other leaguers probably hadn't realized the extent to which Diana felt alienated from the world -- even Clark, who was Kryptonian, had a family on Earth, co-workers who were normal, everyday people. And J'onn had his secret identities, too. 

He nearly choked on his water when she said, "Because you are safe." She smiled at his reaction, then continued, "If you had attacked me in the limo, I could have hit you into the next state. But also because I don't have to worry about emotional entanglements. I will be just another girl in your long list of girls, and your interest in me is shallow and physical, so you won't get hurt or fall in love with me, and as for me--" She sighed. "--I knew that I could never fall for a man like you, whose interest in me is so superficial. And as for other men -- well, at least I know where your interests are. I'm not tricked by you." 

Bruce stared at her. He was tricking her, but not in the way that she thought. And as for his interest in her -- he had to admit that it was far less shallow than she imagined. She was a fascinating woman: beautiful, funny, smart, tough yet vulnerable. He felt a sudden desire to have her closer. 

"Let's dance," he said abruptly. 

She nodded, and he took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. He owned the restaurant, and had known that the music would be slow, classy -- he'd had a feeling that she wouldn't be ready for one of Gotham's dance clubs -- and now he was glad that they had come to a place where the dancing would be slow. He drew her into his arms, and she stood awkwardly for a moment, and he realized that she didn't know how to dance. 

"Dancing is different on Themyscira," she said, chuckling ruefully. 

He smiled. "Put one hand on my shoulder, and the other on my arm, like this--" he showed her "--and just sway back and forth to the music. We won't try any fancy steps." 

She watched the other couples for a moment, then finally relaxed against him, resting her head on his shoulder. He breathed deeply of her scent, enjoying the way her body brushed against his. The song ended, he thought, far too quickly. 

Back at the table, he noted with pleasure that her cheeks were a little flushed, and that she didn't meet his eyes as easily as before. So she was feeling some attraction, too, he realized -- only it was so new to her that she felt uncomfortable and unsure of it. Wanting her to relax again, he started with the safest topic he could think of: her plans to try to feel like a regular woman. 

"So, now that you've done the date, what's next? A job? Shopping? Talking with friends?" 

"I do have some friends -- they are all league members, but they are friends, at least -- and I went shopping with Hawkgirl today for this dress." She sighed. "And I've tried to get a job, but since my schedule is so hectic that even a burger place won't hire me because they can't rely on me to be there. And I've gotten offers from movie studios and modeling firms, but--" she shuddered "--I just can't do that. And money's becoming a necessity." She blushed a little, but added honestly, "I had to use Hawkgirl's credit card just to buy this dress." 

Bruce nodded. He couldn't survive as Batman without his Bruce Wayne persona owning Wayne Enterprises -- it was simply too expensive to be Batman -- but he'd never thought of the impact of not being able to do anything else. His money was to let him be Batman -- but Diana wanted to work just to feel like she was carrying her own weight, and not dependent upon anyone. 

An idea struck him. "I might be able to help you, Diana." 

Her eyes flashed. "I don't want charity, Bruce." 

"No," he said quickly, "You'd work for this." He pulled a business card from his pocket, wrote a name on the back. "This is the name of the head editor of Wayne Publishing. If you wrote a book about growing up on Themyscira, they'd buy it in an instant. Interest in that island is very high, and no one knows anything about it but you." 

Her face grew sad, and she shook her head. "I couldn't do that. It would be like betraying them -- selling them." 

He thought of the book she had been reading the night before. "Then what if you wrote your perspective of certain works of literature, like The Iliad and The Odyssey, and stories from Greek mythology? To the general public, they are just myths, but to you, they are history, and the gods are real people. You probably have an entirely different interpretation than most scholars do. With your additional knowledge, there wouldn't be a liberal arts professor in the world who wouldn't buy that book, and others would buy it just because you wrote it." 

Diana smiled. "My mother actually knew Homer while he was writing the Iliad. She had a lot of stories about him. She also knew Hercules, Achilles -- and I know a million stories from the rest of the Amazons." 

"Stories that Wayne Publishing would pay you a great deal of money for," Bruce said, and grinned. "And they'd make even more money for." 

Diana hesitated. "I'll definitely think about it." She checked the time, and said, "The movie will be starting in a couple of minutes. Should we go?" 

Bruce nearly groaned. He hated the movies, but two hours in the dark with Diana didn't seem so awful. "Let's go -- but do we have to see "Daredevil?"' 

She grinned. "The idea reminds me of someone I know," she said. "And I want to be able to tease him about it later." 

Bruce realized she was talking about him -- Batman -- and nearly groaned again. Not only would he have to endure a movie, but he'd have to endure her teasing him about it later, all the while pretending that he hadn't been the one watching it with her, that he hadn't been the one who had held her close while dancing. 

He decided to kiss her at the end of the date, just to make up for all of the teasing he would have to go through. 

******** 

"I saw a movie last night that I think was based on you, Batman," Diana said as she wrestled the robot to the ground. 

Batman grunted a reply, throwing a batarang at another robot's head. It exploded in a shower of sparks. 

"Of course, they had to embellish a lot of the details, since nobody knows anything about you," Diana said, "but it was definitely based on you." She finished off the last robot, and scooped Batman up, flying them back to the Javelin. "They made him blind. Like a bat, get it? And they made him a lawyer." 

"I'm not a lawyer." Batman grated the words out. 

Diana smiled to herself. She loved getting under his skin. "Although I'm not sure how, just because his other senses were enhanced, he could jump so far. Even you have to use a rope. Bruce said--" 

"Bruce Wayne?" Batman interrupted. His tone was disapproving. 

"Yes. Bruce said that it was the dumbest movie he'd ever seen, and that Daredevil should have been hunted down by the police for the letting all those people die, even if they were bad guys, and that from what he knew of you, that you didn't let people die." 

"Bruce Wayne doesn't know what he's talking about." 

"Oh, then you do let people die?" 

"Of course not." 

"Then apparently Bruce does know what he's talking about," Diana said, trying not to laugh. 

"Does your sudden adoration of what Bruce Wayne thinks mean that you will be in Gotham more often?" Batman shifted in her grip, and she had to move her arms, holding him closer to her. 

She had held Bruce close like this the night before, first when they had danced, and later when he had kissed her. The kiss had been wonderful, soft and searching. She had liked the entire night, in fact. 

But she shook her head. "I don't think so." She felt the sudden tension in his body, and realized that he wanted to ask why, but of course wouldn't ask. He was Batman. So she volunteered the information. "I had a wonderful time, but I'm not going to see him again." 

"Did he do something wrong?" The words seemed torn from Batman. 

"No," she said, biting her lip, remembering. "He was a really fantastic person. But I'm just another girl in a long list of girls; I won't mean anything to him in a year. But I have a feeling there's more to him than he shows, and there's a real danger that if I spend more time with him, find out what's beneath the surface, I just might fall in love with him. And that would be horrible," she finished, and set Batman down next to the Javelin, flying off again, leaving him staring after her.

Part IV 

Seeing Bruce on the news with another woman was more painful than Diana had thought it would be, considering that they'd only had one date. She tried not to care about his answer to questions about the status of his relationship with her—after all, she was the one who had decided not to see him again—but couldn't help but listen as he told reporters, "Despite being a princess, I found that Wonder Woman had a desire to be more...common." He said the word distastefully. "And I have no desire to be with a common woman. Besides," he grinned suddenly, "who wants to be with a woman who can crush you with her bare hands?" 

Diana frowned. Those comments didn't seem like the Bruce that had taken her out, danced with her, kissed her gently. She wouldn't have thought that he would be cruel when talking about her later. It made her sad to think that she had misjudged him so badly. But – maybe she had hurt him as well? Was he being cruel to hide any pain that her rejection had caused? 

Her heart hurting, but curious, she searched through previous news archives, compiling references that Bruce Wayne made about the women he'd dated. No, she realized as she searched, he'd never been cruel before. He didn't stay with one woman for very long, but when he finally did leave her, he always faulted himself for the breakup, never blaming the woman. Why had he acted differently with her? 

An alert screen popped up about a collapsing bridge in New York, and she quickly contacted Superman, letting him know about the alert. He could fix the problem in a minute or two by himself. She turned back to the monitor, and froze. 

When the alert window had come up, it had covered only half of a picture of Bruce Wayne that had been up on the screen. The top half. The only portion of his face showing was the bottom half: his lips, his chin, his jaw. 

And Bruce Wayne with the top of his face covered, Diana realized, looked a lot like Batman with his mask on. 

******* 

Diana was avoiding him, Batman realized. She had begun avoiding him two days ago, making sure that her monitor duty time didn't run up against his, requesting to go on assignments or in groups that he wasn't in, leaving a room quickly if he was in it. It didn't bother him that she was avoiding him, he told himself, and ignored the painful twist in his belly at the thought. The important thing was making sure that the dynamics of the team weren't skewed. 

So he intended to find her, and discover why she wouldn't meet his eyes, or speak directly to him if she could help it. 

He wondered briefly if it had something to do with their conversation the week before, about Bruce Wayne and her potential feelings for him. Was she now embarrassed for opening up to him about the way she felt about her date? Especially now that Wayne had so publicly dismissed her? 

He grimaced. He'd been maybe too harsh with his comments, but when she'd said that she might fall for Bruce Wayne, he'd wanted to make sure that she never would go back to him again. 

And, he had to admit now, that he'd been a little jealous of his alter ego. Diana had never spoken of Batman like she had Bruce Wayne, and she'd known him much, much longer. 

It was ridiculous, he told himself. He had no place in his life as Batman or Bruce Wayne for her, so there was no reason to feel jealous – because nothing could ever come from his feelings about her. 

What those feelings were, exactly, he wasn't ready to ask himself. 

****** 

Diana smoothed the business suit she had borrowed from Lois Lane and had worn to Wayne Publishing, trying to control her nervousness. If she wrote this book, as Bruce had suggested, would she be bringing any honor to the Amazons? Would Man's World really be interested in what she had to say about Greek mythology, and classical texts? 

And would she see Bruce here? 

She shook her head. She still couldn't believe it, but she was almost positive that it was true – Bruce was Batman. Once she looked into Bruce Wayne's history, it had made perfect sense: his parents had been killed at an early age, right in front of him. Diana's heart had nearly broken when she realized what drove the Dark Knight, why he pushed himself to nearly inhuman limits every single day. She had combined the two men in her mind, and she suddenly understood new things about him, admired him more than ever...loved him more than ever. 

And she also understood why Bruce wouldn't let himself be with her, even if she hadn't already decided not to date him again. He must have been walking a tight line between Bruce Wayne and Batman for years – and it must have been nearly impossible to keep his identity a secret, never letting anyone get too close to him. Dating Wonder Woman would only open up his life to more speculation, and possibly make him a target of attack by supervillains, potentially revealing his identity. 

So, she would let him do as he needed – she wouldn't get in his way, or try to make him love her back. To do so would be too dangerous for him. 

But her love for him was real, and so she had done her best to keep as far away from him as possible, at least until she was used to this new feeling. She was afraid that if she was around him for any length of time, her love would show on her face – and then he would feel responsible. She didn't want to hurt him like that, and she didn't want to hurt, either – so she simply kept away from him. And she would keep away, as much as possible, until she could see him without her heart aching. 

But she couldn't help but hope that she would see him, even by accident, here at Wayne Publishing. 

"Miss Wonder Woman? Mr. Wayne and Mr. Lee will see you now." 

Mr. Wayne? Diana's eyes widened, then she quickly schooled her expression to reveal nothing, so that he wouldn't know how pleased she was to see him without his mask again, and so he wouldn't see how she felt about him. She wondered why he had bothered to meet with her – after all, Daniel Lee was the head editor at Wayne Publishing, and could make any decision about buying her book by himself, without Bruce's approval. 

Bruce was standing by a window, looking out over the city, his back to her when Diana entered the room. He didn't turn around, even when Mr. Lee began making introductions. Mr. Lee looked uncomfortable because of Bruce's rudeness, but Diana quickly smiled, indicating that she wasn't bothered by it, and took a seat in front of his desk. Bruce remained by the window, looking at neither of them. 

Lee smiled. "Wonder Woman, I've spoken with Mr. Wayne about the possible direction of your project, and let me just say how pleased we are that you are considering Wayne Publishing for this endeavor. I am positive that we will both be satisfied – financially, academically, and professionally." 

Diana shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She hoped that he – or anyone else – didn't think she was doing this purely for financial reasons, or to suddenly be rich. It wasn't the money itself she cared about, but the ability to support herself, not to have to borrow from or rely on her teammates for everything in Man's World that required cash. But she couldn't tell Mr. Lee that without sounding self-righteous, so she simply nodded. 

"Have you thought about what your book will contain?" Lee inquired. 

"I don't want to go into details about Amazon society, or Themyscira," Diana said, "but I would like to chronicle our version of history, as opposed to what has been recorded by figures such as Herodatus, Homer, Plato, and others. There are significant differences in the Amazon version of the history of the war on Troy, for instance, than what is mentioned in the Iliad. I thought I would intersperse these notes on history with songs and poems from the Amazons, rounding out the book." Bruce still stood by the window, and Diana forced herself not to look at him, or wonder why he was there if he was just going to ignore them. 

"And anecdotes about the historical figures?" 

"Yes," Diana said. She thought of Hippolyta, and had to fight a wave of sadness. "My mother and the other Amazons knew several personally. I have heard many stories." 

Lee clapped his hands together in delight. "Wonderful! Between having your name on the cover, and the content, there won't be a person in the world who won't want to buy this book." He leaned forward. "I would be pleased to make you an initial offer, Diana. What do you think, Bruce? Two? Three?" 

"Five," Bruce said, finally turning around, fixing Diana with a cold blue stare. Was he angry with her? she wondered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mr. Lee's jaw drop. 

"But, Bruce, we've never paid that kind of money for a book," Lee sputtered. 

"But, as you pointed out, everyone will be reading it. I'm sure we will recoup our money." Bruce kept staring at Diana as he spoke. "And, of course, that price will include all promotional appearances, including broadcast specials should we decide to televise parts of the book." 

"For five?" Diana said. Hundred? Or thousand? If it was the latter, it was more than she had ever had before, more than enough to cover all of her needs for years. She added hesitantly, hoping she didn't seem greedy, "Five thousand?" 

Lee gave a sudden snort of laughter, and she managed to surprise even Bruce, she realized, by the way his eyes suddenly widened and then narrowed. 

"Five million, Diana," he said. He sounded angry suddenly, and she wondered what she had done. 

"Oh," she said. "That is a lot. I don't need that much. Five thousand will do." 

She saw the way his muscles tensed, and realized he was getting angrier by the second. 

"Daniel," Bruce said calmly, hiding from his voice the fury she could see in his body, "may I have a minute alone with Diana?" 

"Of course, Bruce," Mr. Lee said quickly, and exited the office. 

The second the door closed, Bruce stalked to her chair and leaned over her, placing his hands on the arms of the chair, effectively trapping her there, his face inches from hers. When he spoke, it was through gritted teeth. "What the hell are you doing, Diana?" 

His tone sparked her own temper. "I'm doing what you suggested, selling a book." She leaned forward, pushed him away from her easily. 

"Selling it? Giving it away, more likely." He turned, ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "For God's sake, Diana, are you this stupid?" 

She leapt to her feet, shaking with her fury. Stupid? How dare he? "I may not have been in Man's World long, Mr. Wayne, but I am not stupid." Stupid for loving you, maybe, she added silently. 

"Naïve, then," Bruce bit out. "Any other company would be taking advantage of your innocence right now, giving you a tiny amount for what they would make millions and millions for. How could you be so stupid, and not research what a book like yours would be worth?" 

She frowned, some of her anger fading. He was mad at her, but because he was worried for her, that in her newness to Man's World she would be taken advantage of. "Because it doesn't matter to me. I just need enough to buy clothes and food now and then." 

"And you'll be able to do that, and more, if you accept the five million we offer you." His anger had started to die as well, she could tell. "You'll be able to do more with it -- take classes if you want, give to charities, support women's shelters." 

"Oh," Diana said. "I didn't think of that." 

"You need a keeper," he muttered. 

She bristled at that. "I can take care of myself." 

"Physically, yes, but you have no idea what kind of depths people would sink to once they realized how truly innocent you are of how things work off Themyscira." 

"I've been managing fine on my own," Diana said coldly, trying to ignore the sudden pain in her heart. She felt under personal attack, that Bruce had looked at her and found something missing, that she wasn't smart enough, good enough to survive in Man's World. 

"Only because of your friends in the Justice League, and because you rarely venture into the real world," he said. 

Was this how he saw her as a teammate, too? Did he think that she wasn't capable of holding her own without people around her, guiding her, telling her how to interpret and act? 

Her chest hurt from the storm of emotions within her, and she realized that if she didn't leave, she would end up sobbing like a baby. She hid her pain, though, and walked slowly to the door. 

"Where are you going, Diana?" Bruce said behind her, and in his voice she heard, for the first time, the gravelly, commanding tones of Batman. How had she never noticed before? she wondered. Behind her stood the man she loved, and right now she was so angry, so hurt by him – she didn't know what to think, she only knew she had to get away. 

"I'm going to write a book," she said, voice cool only through a massive effort on her part. "Send me the contract, I'll sign it. And from now on, I only want to deal with Mr. Lee," she added, and closed the door quietly behind her. 

******* 

Bruce slammed his fist into the wall. He had handled that completely wrong. He had been so frustrated for the last couple of days because she had successfully continued to avoid him – Batman – that when he had realized she had made an appointment with Wayne Publishing he had demanded to be present at the meeting, even though there was no way, of course, that he could talk to her about his and her roles in the Justice League –and why she was avoiding Batman -- as he had wanted. 

He had just wanted to see her. And he had driven her away. 

No, he corrected himself, Bruce Wayne had. She didn't know he was Batman, so any conversation he had with her as Batman wouldn't be tainted by the mess he had created here. 

He could fix things with her – at least get her to stop avoiding him – by being Batman. He needed to fix things – he didn't think he could bear another day of her evading him. 

He would never be able to be with her as he was starting to realize that he wanted to be with her, but at least he would see her, know she was alright, he told himself. It would be enough. 

It would have to be enough. 

To Be Continued


	3. Parts 5 & 6

Tell Me Lies

By Ugly_Girl

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction that infringes upon copyrights and characters owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. This author (nor anyone else) is making no money, nor receiving any type of compensation for this work. 

This fanfic is based in the Justice League animated universe. All bastardization of characterizations is mine. 

Rated PG

Part V 

Diana was lost in the story of Odysseus when the quiet knock sounded at the door to her bedroom suite. Assuming it was Shayera, who often brought in tubs of ice cream for a 'light midnight snack' over which the two women would often trade stories of their day's battles, or their histories, Diana automatically gave the command for the door to open, not bothering to put anything on over her short nightgown. 

"Diana?" 

Her head snapped up, and she saw Batman standing in the entrance to the room. 

"Batman," she said awkwardly, and looked around for a robe. Ridiculous, really, she thought, since her uniform covered much less than her nightgown, but her uniform was not nearly so – feminine. Or romantic. She tried to imagine fighting supervillains in silk and lace and had to hold back a nearly hysterical giggle. 

When she realized there was nothing on hand to put on immediately, she sighed and decided that it would be far more uncomfortable to have him wait around while she looked for covering, than just remaining in what she had on. Showing the skin didn't bother her -- it was just so…silky. Something to wear with a lover, not a teammate. 

She gestured for him to sit down on one of the sofas, but he remained standing. 

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said. He nodded toward the pile of papers and books next to her. 

She shook her head. "No, I'm just working on the article." 

"Article?" he repeated, and she reminded herself that, of course, he was going to pretend that he didn't know what had gone on between her and Wayne Publishing. 

And she had to remember to pretend that she didn't know that he knew. "Ah, yes. I'm doing a book for Wayne Publishing, and right now I'm writing an article on Circe and the Odyssey to be published in a journal before the book is released, to generate interest in the book." 

"Oh, are you seeing Wayne again then?" 

I am now, she thought, but held her tongue. This was so confusing. She had left Bruce Wayne that afternoon, upset and hurt by him, and now Batman stood before her acting as if he didn't know what had gone one -- and she couldn't remain mad at Batman, because then he would know that she knew his identity. But she did, she realized, remain hurt by his words. Those words that had said she couldn't function on her own in Man's World, that she only managed because of her friends' help. 

"Why are you here, Batman? I know you don't usually make small talk." 

She heard him take a deep breath. "Because, Diana, there is a problem with the team, and right now you are at the core of it." 

And she felt as if he had smashed her with a twelve ton rock. Was she to be thrown out, exiled from the Justice League as she had been Themyscira? And why was it always the people she cared for the most -- her mother, Batman -- that had to pass the sentence on her? 

****** 

He couldn't take his eyes off her. 

He was glad, not for the first time, for the lenses in his mask that helped hide the expression in his eyes, or she would have realized that he had been struck dumb at the first sight of her tonight. 

She had been reading when he'd come into the room, the tiny nightgown she wore clinging softly to her skin. Her hair had been tucked behind her ears, tumbling down over her shoulders, as dark as midnight, as silky as a cat's. Her face had been framed by that hair, her features too perfect for words, her brows drawn together in concentration as she made notes in her book. 

He had watched her every movement, her every expression since he had entered, so he didn't miss the multitude of emotions that flitted across her face when he made his statement about the problem with the team: anger, hurt, fear, sadness -- and acknowledgement. 

He frowned. "You do know what I'm talking about?" 

She hesitated, turned her face from him before whispering, "You think that I might be endangering the team." 

He relaxed. So she did know that her avoidance of him could cause a problem. If the team felt that two of the members were at odds, their trust in each other was not as absolute as it should be, given the dangerous situations they were placed in nearly every day. "Yes," he confirmed. 

Her shoulders drooped a little, and he wished he could make it easier for her, but this had to be done. "Have the others noticed? And do they agree?" 

Batman thought back to the expressions of surprise on the other leaguers' faces whenever she requested an assignment separate from his, remembered how Superman had, earlier that day, tried to ask if anything had happened between he and Diana to make her avoid him like she had been. "Yes, they've noticed. And they are concerned as well." 

She bit her lip. "Why didn't anyone else say anything?" 

Batman's eyebrows drew together in confusion. That was an odd question, but he tried to answer it as truthfully as he could, "Because it's a personal matter, and a potentially painful one. 

Diana's breath hitched, and for a second he thought she might be crying -- but no, her face was blank, if a little tense. "I'll fix it," she said. 

And then she took him by surprise, walking forward, pulling his head down for a kiss. Her lips touched his, soft and moist, and he couldn't think, but just let himself deepen the kiss, inhaling her scent, holding her closer, letting his hands run down her strong, slim form. 

She pulled away first, and turned from him. 

He tried to catch his breath, recover from the shock and pleasure of the kiss. He reached a hand out to her, wishing she would turn so he could see her face. "I don't under--" 

She interrupted him. "I'll fix it, Batman." She took a deep breath. "I would like to be alone now." 

Batman nodded, even though she couldn't see his movement. He would leave her alone -- for now. He hadn't found out her reasons for avoiding him, but if her kiss was any indication then she was done evading his presence. He would find out what had caused the problem in the first place tomorrow. Then he would talk to her about the kiss. 

He couldn't stop the tiny smile from reaching his lips as he left the room. 

******* 

When the door slid shut, Diana sank to the floor, her chest aching and breath shuddery. But she didn't let herself cry. 

They were kicking her out. The league had decided that she was endangering them -- because of her unfamiliarity with Man's World. Her naivete. She knew that they respected her as a warrior, but obviously her lack of knowledge about how people think and how things work in Man's World were considered a danger. 

Well, she wouldn't endanger them anymore. 

She controlled her breathing, and stood, looking around the room. She didn't have many things -- just the few items she had brought from Themyscira, and a couple of books and gifts from the other leaguers. It would take her no time at all to pack. 

As she gathered her things, she wondered what Batman had thought when she had kissed him. When she realized that to fix things she was going to have to leave, she hadn't been able to help herself. 

She had just wanted to touch him one last time. 

******** 

When Batman came into the conference room, he immediately noticed two things: Diana wasn't there, and the rest of the league looked confused and sad. 

He sat in his usual position at Superman's right. "Where's Wonder Woman?" 

Superman shook his head. "We don't know." 

Batman frowned. "What do you mean?" 

Superman slid a note to him. 

__

Dear friends, 

I am afraid that my presence is causing a problem within the league, and that I am endangering you all by staying. So I must resign my position in the Justice League. I wish you all the best of luck and safety, and hope you understand my need to leave. 

Love,  
Diana 

"It's ridiculous! Endangering us? Where would she have gotten such a preposterous idea?" Hawkgirl banged her fist on the table, obviously upset. 

Everyone in the league except for Superman and Batman began talking, their voices mixing. 

"Why would she do this?" 

"Is she being controlled by someone?" 

"What happened? She seemed happy here yesterday." 

The conversations and questions continued until Superman held up his hand. "The question is," he said, "Do we go after her?" 

Five heads began to nod, but Batman's voice cut harshly through the room. "No." 

Six heads turned to look at him. 

"We will respect her wish to resign. If Diana feels that she can not be with our team, then we should not force her to come back into a situation in which she is obviously uncomfortable." 

"You're right," Superman said, and sighed. "I just wish she hadn't gone." 

The others agreed, and Batman stood. He needed to leave, to be by himself. 

As he walked away, one thought ran through his head, tightened his chest, created a sinking feeling in his stomach: Diana had resigned rather than forcing herself to be around him. She had left rather than stop avoiding him. 

She had left because she couldn't stand him. 

The knowledge nearly tore him apart. 

Part VI 

Bruce dragged his hand through his hair, frustrated, then decided to make the call. 

Daniel Lee picked up almost immediately. 

Bruce forced himself to speak in a light, careless tone, as if the information he wanted meant nothing to him. "So, Daniel, I hear that Wonder Woman's article is out on stands today? Any word on sales and the initial buzz for her book?" 

"According to all indications, Bruce, we are going to make a killing on this thing. The journal is flying off the stands, and we've already got pre-orders for the book – more than I've ever seen before." Sounds of ruffling papers came over the phone. "Speaking of which, I've just received the first draft from Diana. From what I've read so far it's absolutely brilliant." 

"Did she leave a return address this time?" Bruce hadn't intended to ask the question – he'd had a million chances over the last couple of months to investigate her whereabouts but hadn't let himself – but this time his curiosity about her got the best of him. 

He wouldn't admit that he missed her. She had chosen to leave, and that was that. 

"A PO Box in California," Daniel said. "A small town -- Hillsport. I guess when she left the Justice League she decided to live quietly for a while." Daniel chuckled. "She's becoming a recluse just like any writer." 

"Uh-huh," Bruce said absently. His mind was racing – did he own any businesses in Hillsport? Was there an excuse he could use to go there, to check up on her? 

"Anyway, Bruce, I have to go – I have a meeting in five minutes with a professor from Harvard who is very interested in Diana's assertion in her article that Odysseus' wife Penelope was an Amazon, and that Circe had tried to destroy their marriage when Odysseus arrived back home. Diana's story changes the entire ending of the epic. I'm trying to set up a meeting with Diana to talk with the professor – it's just a matter of getting a hold of her." 

"I'm sure you will," Bruce said cheerily, and hung up. He sat back in his chair, brooding. Diana had been gone for nearly two months now, and he had resisted any impulse to look her up, to find out what she was doing. 

He stood, stretched, and walked casually over to a panel in the wall. He hit the secret button in the molding, and a computer linked to the Batcave slid out. 

"Hillsport," he muttered, and began searching. 

******* 

****

On an island in the Mediterranean, thousands of miles from Themyscira... 

__

I hear their voices, calling my name. Not loudly, but quietly, as if speaking in Athenian libraries or classrooms. I hear my name, I hear my story – the true story. The story I have tried to forget in my endless sleep. 

How dare they? 

My name has been spoken many times over the last three thousand years, but never at this rate, at this volume. And I am beginning to awaken. They call for me – I should come. They say my name – I should answer. 

And I should destroy the one who has said the truth, who has besmirched my name, who has told the lies of the Amazon, Penelope. Penelope, who stole my love from me – and now a new Amazon makes me relive my pain, my humiliation through the voices of others. 

I will make the Amazon pay. 

******** 

Diana set the two plates of food down in front of the customers, turned, and froze. 

Bruce. 

What was he doing here? Would he recognize her? Her hand automatically went to her hair – the blonde wig that she wore during her hours at work. It was in place, her fake eyeglasses were on, so maybe she would escape notice from him. 

__

Escape notice from the Batman? A little voice inside reminded her, and she sighed. No, there was no way that she was going to get out of this without him realizing who she was. In fact, she'd place bets that he knew she was here before he came. 

She frowned, and filled a cup of coffee. So why was he here? Was he checking up on her? Making sure she kept out of trouble? If he was here as Bruce Wayne then it wasn't for Justice League business. 

Bruce's table was in her area, so she was eventually forced to go over to him, order pad ready. She pasted on a fake smile. 

"What can I get for you?" 

"A cup of coffee and about fifteen minutes to talk to you, Diana," he said. 

She blinked. So he wasn't going to pretend that he didn't recognize her, either. "Why, Bruce?" 

He sighed. "I need to talk to you about your article, and your contract with Wayne Publishing." 

She had to fight the disappointment that he was there purely for Wayne business. _Of course he isn't here because of any other reason, _she told herself. "Where's Mr. Lee? I thought I was going to deal only through him?" 

"Daniel had other meetings, and since I was out on the West Coast anyway, I volunteered to stop." 

"Oh," Diana said, then added, "I get off work in half an hour. I can talk then." She went back to the kitchen. Once inside, she leaned against the door, trying to get hold of her roiling emotions. She had seen him in newspapers, on the television since she had left the Justice League, but seeing Bruce again in person had thrown her. 

She wondered if her feelings for him would ever fade, if she would ever be free of him. 

She worked quickly over the next half hour, keeping her mind as busy as possible, trying not to think of the man in the corner booth. Finally, she was done, and she slid into the seat across from him. 

"Do you want to talk here?" she asked. 

He shook his head. "We'll go out to my car, then to your place." 

She nodded. "Just let me get my things." 

******** 

Bruce caught Alfred's look in the review mirror, and fought a smile. The older man was convinced that he was here for personal reasons. 

But I will keep it strictly business, he promised himself. What he had told Diana hadn't been a complete lie – he did want to talk to her about her book. But Daniel _could _have made it out to California. 

She sat next to him in the car, staring out the window, giving Alfred directions now and then. Not that Alfred needed them; Bruce had discovered nearly everything to do with her time in Hillsport before he'd left the office yesterday. She worked at a small café even though she didn't need the money anymore – the advance she'd gotten on the book made her a very rich woman – she rented a small house by the beach, and kept generally to herself, only purchasing groceries and small items locally. She didn't have transportation – she probably discreetly flew wherever she needed to go – and every weekend she made purchases in larger cities. Sightseeing, he imagined. 

And the crime rate in her small city had gone down to nothing. There had been reports of a woman who had stopped several crimes, but no one had gotten a good look at her. 

Bruce knew it was Diana, though. She would never completely give up crimefighting – her sense of responsibility was too high. She would feel guilty if she didn't actively use her powers for good, protecting the people around her. 

They arrived at her home, and they decided to sit on the balcony with a view of the ocean. Diana invited Alfred inside, but he said that he preferred to remain with the car. 

"It'll only take a little while anyway," Bruce added. 

Diana changed out of her work uniform and met him on the balcony, dressed casually in a yellow sundress. She had removed the wig and the glasses. 

She looked, Bruce decided, incredibly beautiful. He couldn't think of one model or actress that he'd dated that looked half as beautiful, and they had used a lot of makeup, had the best personal trainers and dieticians. Diana's beauty was completely natural. 

She gazed out over the ocean. "Being here reminds me of living on Themyscira," she said softly. "The sea right here at my back door, the smells of the ocean..." 

Bruce's heart twisted for her – he knew that she missed her home, her family. And now, without the Justice League, she was almost completely alone. He knew that feeling, the despair of losing one's family. But, unlike him, she had been exiled from her family. They were still alive, she just couldn't be with them on the island. He wondered if in some ways that was worse than what he had gone through. 

In some ways, but not in others, he guessed. 

Realizing that his feelings for her were in danger of rising to the surface, he pushed them back, focusing instead on what he had said he'd come to do. "Daniel wants to you to return to the East Coast for a while, to give a series of lectures and talks on your upcoming book. There are several professors from various universities that would like to talk to you as well, and Wayne Publishing would like you to participate." 

Diana sighed, and nodded. "It is part of my contract. If you give me times and locations, I'll be there." 

Bruce looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected it to be that easy. He searched for something else to say. "I also have an edited copy of your manuscript in the car." 

"Good," Diana said. "I'll get back to work on it right away." A strange expression passed over her face fleetingly, and then she asked, "Did my leaving the Justice League damage potential sales of the book? I would feel bad if the book didn't sell now. I could give back the money, if it doesn't." 

Bruce shook his head. "If anything, it made you more popular, since you have become mysterious." And, because he wanted to hear her say it, no matter how painful the truth might be to him, he asked, "Why did you leave the Justice League?" He already knew – she couldn't stop avoiding Batman, couldn't stand to be around him. But he wanted to hear it from her own lips, even if she thought she was telling Bruce Wayne, not Batman. 

Her eyebrows drew together, as if in quick anger. "Don't you know--?" But she stopped herself, smiled slightly as if reminding herself of something. "No, of course you don't know," she muttered, then continued at a normal tone, "Well, Bruce, the Justice League had the same concerns about me that you did once – that I wasn't familiar enough with Man's World to take care of myself, and that was a danger to the team because I don't know how people on Man's World think. Batman himself told me this the night I left." 

Bruce was shocked, and opened his mouth to correct her mistake when he realized that he couldn't. As Bruce Wayne, he wouldn't know what Batman was supposed to have meant. So instead he had to choke out the words, "Then it was probably right that you left, if you felt you were endangering the team." 

He saw her flinch slightly, and told himself that he would make it up to her, that as soon as possible he would return as Batman and clear up the misunderstanding. 

And he felt something else, too – elation that it hadn't been because of him that she had left, but because she had misunderstood his meaning. She would return to the Justice League, then. 

She had to return. He...missed her. 

He stood, already making plans to come back as Batman within a day or two, and pretend to know nothing about this conversation, and convince her to return. 

She walked him to the door, where he smiled boyishly and flirtatiously. She didn't know he was Batman, after all, but thought he was Bruce Wayne, notorious playboy. 

So as Bruce Wayne he kissed her, allowed himself to pour all of his emotions into the kiss, emotions that he could never show her when he was Batman. She clung to him, lips moving softly against his. 

He broke away, smiled again. "Nice to see you again, Diana," he said carelessly, hating the act he had to put on as Bruce, as if she was just another woman that he kissed casually. 

She touched her lips, looked away. "Goodbye, Bruce," she whispered, and he turned and met Alfred at the car. 

But he would be back, and he would make things right. 

********* 

Diana got up early, still thinking about Bruce. She tried to put him from her mind as she began working at the café, until the news came out over the television: 

__

We have exclusive footage of the woman who captured the Justice League. Calling herself "the Sorceress", she seemed to use some kind of magic to incapacitate the league, and then vanished them to an unknown location. 

Diana watched in horror as the TV showed a purple haired woman raising her arms, shouting a spell and the Justice League – including Batman – falling before her. The tape caught the final words of the sorceress before she disappeared: 

"Bring me the Amazon, or these heroes will die!" 

Circe, Diana realized. 

The news continued. _Experts agree that the Sorceress is asking for Wonder Woman, the Amazon who resigned from the Justice League two months ago. No one knows where to find her, though, so we can only hope that she will hear of this woman's crime. We need Wonder Woman. _

Diana ripped off her wig and glasses, heard the gasps of the other waitresses and customers as they realized who she was. 

"I'm sorry," she said to her shocked employer, "but it seems I have to go." She flew out the door to the sound of her boss' voice telling her she was more than happy to give Diana time off as she needed it. 

Diana flew east, to find Circe – to find the Justice League.


	4. Parts 7, 8 & 9

Part VII 

Batman woke slowly, still groggy from whatever magic had put them all to sleep, and looked around him. He was in a room that vaguely reminded him of Themysciran rooms – high, arching ceilings, marble columns and statues decorated it, and was furnished by deep, sumptuous sofas and pillows. 

Despite the luxury of the room, he was chained to the wall. He pulled ineffectually on his bonds, then realized that he couldn't even pick the locks of the cuffs – they weren't of metal, but of some kind of amorphous, probably magical, substance. He tried getting out of them anyway. 

He stopped his struggles when he heard footsteps outside the hall. They stopped near the door to the room, and it swung open. 

Revealing Wonder Woman in her red, gold and blue uniform. 

"Diana," he began, then jerked his head toward the bonds, "I can't get out of these." He watched as she walked slowly toward him. "Have you found the others? Are they safe?" 

She smiled, and the expression chilled him. Diana's smile was usually warm, open. This smile was predatory. "Oh, they are fine, Batman." 

She placed her hand on his chest, fingertips trailing over his emblem. Every muscle in his body stiffened, trying to avoid her touch. 

"What's the matter?" she asked. She leaned forward, her breath mingling with his. Her eyes were wide, innocent, but there was something...unfamiliar about the expression in them. Had the Sorceress affected her somehow? Had Diana attempted to rescue them, but only to get a spell put on her as well? 

He told the truth. "I don't think you are acting like yourself, Diana." 

She leaned forward to kiss him, but he turned his head so that her lips landed on his chin. 

Wonder Woman leaned back and pouted. "Batman, don't you want to kiss me? You know I love you." 

Under his mask, his eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. As much pleasure as the idea of those words coming out of her mouth gave him, something was very wrong here. 

"You don't love me, Diana," he said harshly, and saying the words twisted something painfully inside him. 

She smiled, then her lips twisted, and her eyes filled with hate. "Oh, but I did, Batman. Then you threw my love, and me, away when you told me that I didn't belong in the Justice League." 

"Diana, I didn't mean—" 

"Lies!" she cried out, and slapped him suddenly. His face turned with the force of impact, his cheek stinging. "All lies!" 

She leaned forward, her face angry. "And you and your friends will pay for your lies, Batman." She turned on her heel and left the room. 

Batman stared after her, certain of one thing – that was not Diana. 

That was not the woman he loved. 

And if it was, he had lost her forever. Because even if the spell on her was making her act uncharacteristically, some of what she had said was true: 

He was the reason she had resigned from the Justice League, and there was no way she could love a man who she thought would do such a thing to her. Who had caused so much hurt in her. 

He wondered if it was true that she had loved him once, and then stopped loving him. 

And he wondered have to do to get over the pain of knowing that he had lost her love. 

********** 

Diana was too worried about the Justice League to be nervous, or to even think twice about what she was doing. 

She remained floating about ten feet in the air – she wouldn't touch the island's soil – and called to her mother through the queen's chamber window. 

"Mother!" She wondered if she would be attacked by her sisters, by her own mother for breaking the rules of her exile. It would break her heart if they did, as surely as it had hurt her to be exiled – but she couldn't do anything else. 

She had to have the Amazons' help to save the League, to save Batman. 

That was all that mattered now. 

Part VIII 

"Diana!" Hippolyta exclaimed. 

Diana saw the surprise, joy and love in her mother's eyes before Hippolyta changed her expression with visible effort, becoming the Queen of Themyscira once again, not Diana's mother. 

"Diana, you are in violation of your exile. Give yourself up immediately to my guards." 

Diana sighed. She had known that her mother would react that way – she was queen, there was no other way to respond to her but as one diplomat to another. 

Diana bowed respectfully in the air, and said in her strongest voice, "My queen, I apologize for coming back to Themyscira against the wishes of the Amazons. But I come not as an Amazon, but as a representative of the Justice League, which direly needs your assistance." 

Her mother's voice remained cold, although the expression in her eyes softened. "Why did you not send the other female? Hawkgirl?" 

"Hawkgirl has been captured, along with the rest of the Justice League, moth...my queen," Diana hastily amended the last words. She had to remain in the role she had chosen – not of daughter, but of ambassador. To do otherwise would be to insult Hippolyta by ignoring the decree of exile. 

"And why is this the concern of the Amazons? We have no business with Man's World." 

But Diana could see the interest in Hippolyta's eyes, the concern. The Justice League had saved the Amazons once, and Hippolyta would not forget that, and Diana knew that the queen respected the heroes who had come to their aid. 

Diana took a deep breath. "Because, Queen Hippolyta, it is Circe that has captured the league." She heard her mother's gasp, knew that the chances of getting help from her mother were very good now. "And I need two things from the Amazons before I can face her, and save the league: Penelope's bow and arrows, and the Amulet of Tiresius." 

"Yes, the bow..." Hippolyta whispered. "That was how Penelope defeated her before – the bow is magical, designed to break through any spells that the witch has cast. When Penelope shot her with it, the witch's illusions were revealed, and she had not choice but to escape and tend her wounds, or face death. Even though history recorded that the bow was Odysseus', it was always Penelope's." 

"Yes." Diana flew closer. "And the Amulet of Tiresius, so that I may find the sorceress's island. It has been hidden by her magics, so only the seer's amulet can help me save them." 

Hippolyta nodded. "Yes. Come with me, quickly, Diana. We will get you these things, and you will rid the world of that witch forever with them." 

******** 

Batman felt like screaming, but he didn't make a sound. There wasn't a part of his body that didn't hurt, didn't make him want to writhe in pain. But he was still and silent, not letting her know how much she had hurt him. 

Diana was doing this to him. 

He had been in pain before – a lot of it – tortured before by the Joker, or any other villain that somehow managed to get their hands on him, broken bones, gunshot wounds, knife wounds. But never hurt by someone he cared about, never by a friend. 

__

It's not her. He tried to remind himself of that, but knew that the pain was bringing on hallucinations. No one, not even he, could function normally under this kind of torture. 

He repeated it in his brain to remind himself, to focus on anything other than the agony sweeping through him. _Not Diana. Not Diana. Not Diananotdiananotdiana. _

In front of him, Diana smiled wickedly and applied the rod she held to his chest, and it felt like a severe electric shock, a heavy blow and a stabbing at the same time. He clenched his teeth, wondering how much more he could take. He tried to kick out at her, but the strength in his legs was gone. 

He narrowed his eyes, ignoring the red haze that swam in front of his eyes, trying to examine the rod she held. It was some kind of torturing device, probably working because of a spell since he could see no electrical parts on it, a device that inflicted incredible pain without causing any real damage. Although it felt as if he had been tortured mercilessly, he knew that his body was fine. He held onto that thought. 

She touched him again with the rod and pain ripped through him, and his control broke for just a second. 

"Please, Diana..." The words were barely a whisper. "Stop." 

Diana raised an eyebrow, looking at him impassively. "Why should I stop? Do you know how much pain you've caused me? It feels like you've ripped out my heart." And she applied the rod to the area over his heart. 

He closed his eyes, unable to bear it. When he caught his breath and pushed the pain out of his mind for a second, he opened his eyes – and Diana wasn't there anymore. Instead, it was the purple-haired sorceress who had captured them. 

"You..." he said, barely able to form the word. 

The sorceress looked at him, concerned. "By Zeus, what has she done to you? Let me help." She reached forward and unclasped the loops holding him to the wall somehow. He fell forward, and she caught him gently, walking him over to one of the sofas and lying him down. 

She lifted a rod, brought it close to his chest, and he drew back with the little strength he had left. 

"No," she said soothingly. "I won't hurt you like _she_ did." The rod touched him, and instead of hurting him it healed him, the pain washing away like it had never existed. "I brought you and your friends here because I knew Wonder Woman would attack you soon, but she obviously got to you when I was off the island, looking for her. For that I am sorry." 

Batman tried to sit up, but he was still too weak even though the pain was gone. He watched the woman suspiciously. 

"Why did you think Wonder Woman would attack us?" 

"Because she is an Amazon," the woman said simply. "And Amazons are always vindictive when their love is not returned, or if they have been rejected. When she resigned from the Justice League, it was only a matter of time until she felt rejected by them. And since she loved you, I knew her revenge would be very bad." She looked down sadly at him. "I am sorry for your torture." 

Batman tried to get up again, was able to move simply through the force of his willpower. 

"No!" the woman cried out, and pushed him back. "Sleep and recover your strength," she said, and touched him with the rod again, and it must have been spelled to make him sleep because he knew nothing after that. 

******* 

The bow felt warm in Diana's hands, the magic still running through it after thousands of years. This was how she would save Batman, and the league. She turned, preparing to leave – hating that she had to leave her mother without resolving anything between them, without being able to talk to her as a daughter instead of an ambassador. 

"Thank you, your majesty," Diana said, and looked at her mother one last time. 

"My daughter...wait. I won't keep you from your mission, but give me a moment, as mother to daughter." Hipployta held out her arms pleadingly. 

Diana's heart filled with joy, and she finally ran to her mother, hugged her tightly. "I have missed you, mother." 

"And I, you." Hippolyta pulled back, looked at Diana seriously. "I can not change the order of exile, Diana. Unless..." Her voice trailed off. 

"Unless?" Diana wondered. Was there some way to return to the Amazons again, to be able to visit again? Some trial or feat that she had to accomplish? She would do it in a heartbeat. 

"Unless you returned, and agreed never to go back to Man's World once you have saved your league. Only if you leave all of Man's World behind can you return." 

"Mother, I—I..." Diana stammered, unsure of what to say. What to choose. Here was a chance to be with her family, her sisters again – but what about the league? What about the joy she found learning about Man's World? 

What about her feelings for Bruce? Could she bear never seeing him again? 

Hippolyta touched her daughter's face tenderly. "What keeps you from us, Diana? What fascinates you about Man's World so?" A wise, knowing look entered her eyes. "Or is it not a something, but a someone?" 

"There is the league. They are all my friends," Diana said, then added honestly, "And...there is a man." 

Hippolyta smiled sadly. "And does he love you, as well?" 

Diana's throat tightened painfully. "No." 

Leaning forward, she kissed her daughter's forehead. "Then do not stay and pine over him, daughter. Return to us, and be happy again." 

Diana remembered the years of pleasure on the island. She thought of the league, and how she wasn't a member of it any longer. How her feelings for Bruce might never be returned. Did she fit into Man's World? Was her place on Themyscira? 

She turned, grief welling in her heart. How could she decide? 

"I'll...think about it, mother," she whispered, and flew off into the night. 

The Amulet of Tiresius would guide her to Circe's island, and she would save the league – and then she would make her decision. 

If there was any hope that she could return to the league, or if Bruce would feel something for her – then maybe she would stay in Man's World. 

Otherwise, she would return to Themyscira. Forever. 

Part IX 

Batman awoke to a sharp slap across his cheek. He was bound to the wall again, Diana standing in front of him. 

"So I see that Circe tried to help you – but she is too late. I'm back to finish the job I started earlier." Diana waved the rod in front of him. 

The sleep had let him regain some of his strength. He kicked out viciously, knocking the rod from her hand, sending it flying across the room. His other foot caught her across the face, and she fell backwards, smacking against a chair. 

"You bast—" she began, but cut herself off, rose and smiled. "You may struggle, Batman, but you will not get away from me." She retrieved the rod, walked back to him. 

Batman narrowed his eyes, finally convinced of one thing: this was not Diana. He had seen her hit by forces much greater than his kick without falling down, or being the least bit hurt – no, somehow the purple haired witch – Circe – had created the illusion of Diana over herself. He wondered if she had tried to trick the other Leaguers in the same way. 

Suddenly, two more bindings popped out of the wall, capturing his ankles in their unbreakable grip. Safe from his kicks now, she held the rod to his stomach, holding it there longer than ever before, until he was gasping for breath, feeling as though his insides had been ripped from him. 

She pulled the rod away, stared at him consideringly. "You know, if you do one thing, I'll stop the torture..." 

He lifted his head, but didn't give her the triumph of a sound, not a word. 

She sighed, and continued. "You just have to tell me how much you love me, and beg my forgiveness for hurting me." 

Batman opened his mouth to comply, anything to get out of the bonds so that he could finally fight back, finally escape, but the words were trapped in his throat. 

He couldn't say it. 

He couldn't ever say it to anyone but the real Diana. 

So instead he prepared himself for more pain, and said, "I could never love you." 

With a scream of rage, she hit him with the rod again. "Say it!" 

He grated the words out between clenched teeth, barely able to catch his breath long enough to form the words. "I could never love you." 

And she tortured him again. 

And again. 

And each time, he said the same thing, until he didn't have enough strength to form even those five simple words. 

And he wondered how long it would take him to die, or even if the rod would let him die, if the pain became bad enough. 

******** 

With the amulet, Diana had no trouble locating Circe's island, but she took a few extra minutes to do surveillance before charging in. The landscape was dominated by a huge palace, and no other buildings as far as she could tell. 

It ended up being almost ridiculously easy to enter the palace – there weren't any guards, and since she was armed with Penelope's bow and arrows, Diana wondered if they had allowed her to pass through any magic barriers that Circe may have placed around the palace. The bow's resistance to Circe's magic would, Diana realized, come in very handy if that was the case. 

She flew warily down the halls, checking rooms, going deeper and deeper into the bowels of the palace. It took her nearly an hour to find the room in which the Justice League was being held – all of the League except Batman. 

They were all bound to the wall, asleep, and Diana notched an arrow into the bow and went from hero to hero, using the tip of the enchanted arrow to slice through their magical bonds. Then, gently, she woke them up by touching them with the bow, breaking the sleep spell Circe had put on them. 

And found herself pinned to the wall, Superman's hand wrapped around her neck, choking her. She dropped the bow, clawing at his hand. Behind him, Hawkgirl looked at her in hate, swinging her mace. J'onn and GL stood, staring at her warily, their eyes showing the same emotion as Hawkgirl's. Flash disappeared for a moment, but then returned a second later. 

"I found Batman, but I can't get him out of the bonds." He paused, then glared at Diana. "He looks like he is in awful shape. I'm not even sure he recognized me." 

Superman leaned forward, and Diana was certain she had never seen him more angry. And it was directed at her. "I'm sure Diana can get him out, can't you?" 

His grip on her throat didn't let her speak, so she mouthed the words: "Yes." Her heart was aching. Did they hate her this much? Did they blame her for Circe's actions? After all, Circe was obviously after Diana – did they think it was her fault they had been captured? 

She closed her eyes, fighting for breath, fighting tears. Here was a clear indication, she thought, that there was increasingly no place for her in Man's World. She had no friends here. 

"Superman..." J'onn frowned. "I think that we may be making a mistake. You should let her go." 

Green Lantern scowled. "A mistake? She's been torturing us for two days. I say he should tighten that grip." 

Torturing? Her? Eyes wide, she looked wildly at Superman, trying to tell him with her expression that, no, it hadn't been her. 

J'onn put a hand to his head. "No, I think that she may be innocent. It's hard to...this island is messing up my telepathic capabilities." 

Hawkgirl took a step forward. "But we all _saw_ her, Manhunter. I didn't believe it at first either. None of us did." She looked at Diana caught in Superman's hand, cocked her head as if considering. "But after two days..." Her voice trailed off, and she addressed Diana directly. "Diana, you were my best friend? Why?" 

Superman's grip was easing, and Diana was finally able to croak, "Not...me. Please...believe..." 

Superman closed his eyes, came to a decision. "All right." He let her go, and she fell to her knees, gasping for breath. 

"Now isn't this a touching little reunion," a voice said from the doorway. 

Diana looked up and saw ... herself. 

"Great Hera," she said. 

To Be Continued


	5. Parts 10, 11 & Epilogue

Tell Me Lies

By Ugly_Girl

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction that infringes upon copyrights and characters owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. This author (nor anyone else) is making no money, nor receiving any type of compensation for this work. 

This fanfic is based in the Justice League animated universe. All bastardization of characterizations is mine. 

Rated PG

Part X 

Diana groped for the bow that had fallen when Superman had grabbed her. 

"Oh, great," the Flash said, looking from one Diana to the other, "How do we know which one is which? Which one is the good one?" 

Green Lantern firmed his jaw, nodded at Circe/Diana. "I say, let's not trust the woman with the torturing rod." Hawkgirl nodded in agreement. 

Circe smiled, then said a word, waving her arm and gesturing to the group of heroes, even as Diana finally touched the bow. 

Immediately, everyone in the room froze. Except Diana, who was protected by the enchanted bow. She stood, and saw Circe's expression of surprise. 

"How—?" Circe began, then laughed. "It doesn't matter, little Amazon. You can never defeat me." 

"Penelope did," Diana said, her voice calm. 

"Ah, but you are no Penelope," Circe said harshly. "You could never be half the woman she was." She lifted an eyebrow, and added cruelly, "At least Penelope could make the man she loved, love her back." 

Diana's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?" 

Circe smiled and examined a fingernail, as if she wasn't the least bit concerned by the arrow Diana had ready and pointed at her heart. She probably hadn't realized that it was Penelope's bow. "Your darling Batman thought I was you, and yet he wouldn't admit love for you, even under torture. Even when it would stop the torture." 

Torture. This woman had tortured Bruce. Fear gripped Diana's heart, even as a different pain ripped through it – Bruce wouldn't admit love for her, even to save himself. He must really hate her. 

Circe continued, "At least Penelope won the heart of Odysseus. You are worthless, even for an Amazon." 

"Perhaps I am," Diana said as she let the arrow fly. It hit the witch in her chest, instantly ripping through the illusion that she had created to look like Diana. Circe screamed, and tore the arrow from her chest. Blood streamed out; Diana could see that she was mortally wounded – perhaps. There was no telling what the Sorceress could do to heal herself. 

Hands to her injury, as if holding the blood inside, Circe cried, "I'll be back for you, Wonder Woman." She laughed, gurgling, and added, "You think you have won, but you will soon discover that I am the victor here, and you are nothing" and then disappeared in a flash of magic. 

Diana stared at where the witch had been. Last time, it had taken her three thousand years of sleep to recover, to come back. She hoped it would be the same this time. 

Suddenly incredibly weary, Diana waited for a full minute, trying to control her emotions and gather her thoughts before unfreezing the other Leaguers with the bow. 

As did, the others looked at her, then around them. Confusion reigned on their faces. Finally, the Flash asked what all of them were thinking: "How do we know the right Diana won?" 

Diana tried to smile, but failed. She held up the bow. "This is a bow designed to break Circe's spells. I shot her with an arrow, and it broke the illusion, injured her, and she disappeared." She sighed. "And if you really need me to prove it, I'll stab myself with one of the arrows." 

Superman quickly shook his head. "That won't be necessary, Diana. We believe you." All the others nodded. 

J'onn added, "The disturbance from the island has disappeared. I can see that you are the true Diana." Then he looked at her carefully, and said, "Why don't you go get Batman? Since you have the bow which can break his bonds, you are the obvious choice. The rest of us will make sure that the witch didn't trap anyone else here, and then we'll meet at the north beach and leave." 

J'onn had probably sensed her worry and love for Batman, Diana realized. Her voice was grateful as she replied, "I will." She turned to Wally. "Where was he?" 

"Two doors down." He smiled. "It's nice to have you back, Diana." 

Hoping that he meant that, but not yet sure that she truly was back, Diana nodded and left the room. She hesitated at the door the Flash had indicated, unsure of what she would see-- 

__

…tortured… 

--and steeled herself before pushing it open. She felt an incredible relief when she realized that, like the others, he had no real physical injuries -- the pain that Circe had inflicted on them was mostly mental, spelled to make them think it was real. 

She ran to him, unsure if he was sleeping or unconscious, and quickly cut his bonds with the tip of the arrow, catching him as he fell. She laid him gently on the floor, running her hands over his body, checking for invisible injuries, remembering when she had done the same when she had run into Bruce Wayne in the Gotham Museum, although she hadn't known then that Batman and Bruce were one and the same. 

Satisfied that he was physically fine, she touched him with the bow, and he began to stir. But, she realized, he was too weak to wake fully. She suddenly understood the extent of the torture that Circe must have put him through, to make someone as strong as Bruce so incredibly weak. 

"Oh, Bruce," she whispered, placing her hand on his cheek. "Why didn't you just tell her what she wanted to hear? Why didn't you just say that you loved me, even if it was a lie?" 

His lips moved, and she had to lean close to hear the words coming from his mouth. "…could never…love…you…" 

She gasped as if he had kicked her in the stomach, so painful was it to actually hear the words, even though she had known them before. She closed her eyes, barely able to look at him, until she forced the pain away, and she was left with … nothing. Her heart felt as if it had been ripped out, replaced with a cold, dead lump. 

She picked him up carefully, cradling him in her arms. "Don't worry, Bruce." She said, and she didn't recognize her own voice. It sounded emotionless, dead. She wondered if she would ever feel alive again. "You won't ever have to love me, Bruce. Soon enough, I'll be gone, and you won't have to deal with me in your life ever again." And she flew toward the beach, where the others were waiting. 

********* 

Batman watched Diana carefully. Two days had passed since he had recovered from the torture on Circe's island, and he'd spent most of those two days watching her, although she probably hadn't realized it. 

She…had changed. 

Once, she had been the most joyous woman he knew. Even through the pain of the months following her exile, she had smiled, laughed, her eyes had sparkled with life and fire. Now, it was as if that spark of life had been extinguished. She answered when spoken to, did her monitor duty without question, but…something was missing. When she wasn't out on a mission or on duty, she spent her time in her room, curled up on her bed, staring at nothing. 

The others had noticed, too. They'd had a secret meeting while Diana had been sleeping, discussing the possibility if something had happened on Circe's island, if perhaps they had been mistaken that this Diana was the real one, or if perhaps in her fight with Circe she had been badly hurt, or a spell put on her. 

J'onn had simply looked sadly at Batman throughout the meeting, then finally said, "I'm positive that she is the real Diana. She is just … hurting emotionally." 

The others had demanded to know what pained her, how they could help, but J'onn had remained silent, except to say that it was Diana's private business. Then he had given Batman another long, sad look and left the meeting. 

J'onn came into the monitor room, and Batman turned to him, gesturing toward the screen that monitored Diana's bedroom. "She isn't getting any better, J'onn." 

The giant Martian frowned. "No, and she probably won't, not here." J'onn sighed, deeply. "She is actually trying to find the strength to leave again." 

Batman clenched his jaw. "I thought that we had convinced her upon her return from Circe's island that we did need her, that her unfamiliarity with Man's World was not a drawback. For god's sake," he added angrily, "if she hadn't been raised on an island of women, we would never have known how to stop Circe. None of us would have known about the magic bow. Her kind of knowledge is invaluable to the League." 

J'onn nodded. "I know that, and she knows that now, too." He hesitated, then seemed to come to a decision about something. "I shouldn't tell you this, since it is her private knowledge that I know only because I had to scan her mind to make sure she was the real Diana, but Hippolyta has told her that she is welcome back to the island. But if she goes back, she can never return to Man's World." 

Something in Batman's chest twisted painfully. Diana had the chance to get her family back -- he knew that if he had the same chance, he'd take it in an instant. But to never return? "Then why does she need 'strength' to leave?" He wondered, surprised at the bitter tone of his own voice. "Surely she wants to see her family again beyond all else. It seems like an easy choice for her." 

"No. There are people here, friends…people she _loves_ here." J'onn put extra stress on the last words. "And it is difficult for her to leave them, no matter how much she misses her home, no matter that she has convinced herself that they don't love her back." 

Batman frowned. "But who does she--" 

"That's not for me to divulge," J'onn interrupted, then changed the subject abruptly. "Are you fully recovered after the ordeal with Circe?" 

Batman clenched his jaw, wanting to ask more about Diana, but able to see that J'onn clearly wasn't going to give him any more information. "Yes," he grated out, "I have a few missing memories, some time gaps especially around the time of my rescue, probably an effect of the torture, but otherwise I'm fine." 

"Would you like me to replace them for you? Your mind remembers them, I just would have to make the connections." 

Batman considered that. He hated someone messing with his mind, but he hated not having memory of something -- even torture -- more. "All right," he said slowly. 

__

He remembered the slow brush of something against his cheek, then Diana's soft voice. No! not Diana! It is Circe! his mind warned him. She was speaking, "Oh, Bruce, why didn't you just tell her what she wanted to hear? Why didn't you just say that you loved me, even if it was a lie?" He felt her hand gentle on his cheek, but didn't have the strength to move away from it. And he said the words that he had said to the witch every time that she had demanded that he say that he love her: I could never love you. He heard his own voice speak the words, barely loud enough to hear, and waited for the pain that inevitably would follow. But he didn't feel pain; instead, he heard a gasp, then silence as he was lifted into two strong arms. Strong arms, strong like Diana, some part of his mind told him. And then Diana was speaking again, but her voice was changed, emotionless, telling him not to worry, that, "You won't ever have to love me, Bruce. Soon enough, I'll be gone, and you won't have to deal with me in your life ever again." And then the sensation of flying, and then nothing again. 

"That's all of the missing gaps, Batman," J'onn said. 

"No," Batman said, trying to deny what he now knew: Diana not only knew that he was really Bruce Wayne -- how long had she known? -- but that he had accidentally told her, the only woman that he would ever love, that he could never love her. And that this change in her, this joylessness, had come after he'd said those words. 

And now she was leaving, going back to Themyscira never to return. He couldn't let her, wouldn't let her leave now, not like this. 

His eyes flew to the monitor, but Diana was no longer in her room. Suddenly, Flash burst into the room, and Batman and J'onn looked at him. 

"Hurry," the Flash said, his face panicked. "Diana is leaving, and she wants to say goodbye to all of us. She's calling a meeting and then taking off." He looked at each of them, searching for answers. "We can't let her go! How can we convince her to stay?" 

Batman didn't answer, but swept by the Flash, heading for the conference room. "I'll convince her to stay," he said softly to no one but himself. "I have to. I don't think I can live without her." 

Part XI 

She wouldn't look at him, Batman noticed. Even as she told them she was leaving, that she wouldn't be able to return, she wouldn't look at him. Instead, her face had the same blank expression as before, her eyes still dull, her voice monotone. 

Had he done this to her? Had his words turned her into this automaton? 

Did that mean that she loved him, too? 

He realized that he didn't know. As far as he knew, she hated him for lying to him about being Bruce Wayne, for taking her on a date, kissing her twice without revealing who he was. She might think that those were not the actions of a loyal teammate, no matter his reasons for not revealing the truth. 

So he wasn't certain that she loved him; he couldn't count on using that to make her stay. What would work then? How could he play upon her sense of morality, her honor, so that she felt obligated to stay? 

"I care for all of you dearly," she was saying. "But I need to take this opportunity to go home. It may be my only chance." 

"We respect your wishes, Diana," Superman said, "but we will miss you. You are an important part of this team. Your abilities have been instrumental in helping us save lives over and over -- I wish you would reconsider, continue to use your powers alongside us." 

Diana shook her head, still emotionless. "I know my powers help, but between all of you, you are more than capable of protecting Man's World. If you ever need my help, I will try to come, of course. But only if the consequences are very dire." 

Batman scowled. So appealing to her honor as a hero obviously wouldn't work. What else? 

And suddenly, he knew. 

He stood. "If you would all excuse me, I'd like to talk alone with Diana for a moment." 

There were looks of confusion and protests from the others. 

"Leave." He said, ignoring them. "Now." 

Grumbling, they did as he asked. There were benefits to being Batman at times, he thought. 

He waited until the door slid shut behind Superman, staring at Diana. She was still looking blankly at the table. He walked around to her chair, lifted her chin, forced her to look at him. 

And then he slid his cowl back, revealing his face. 

For the first time in days, an emotion flitted across Diana's expression. Surprise. Good, he thought, surprise was better than nothing. He wondered if he could evoke other emotions in her as well. He hoped so. 

"What are you doing?" she asked. 

His voice was harsher than he intended, but he couldn't help that. He was too full of conflicting emotions to control it. "Let's be honest here -- you and I both know that you know who I am. And since I am Bruce Wayne, I am reminding you that you can not leave until you complete your contract with Wayne Publishing." 

Diana frowned. "I talked to Daniel Lee yesterday. He said that my edited draft looked good, that it was almost ready for printing. I have given them the book, then." 

"But you haven't done your tour, or publicity as agreed," Bruce pointed out. "If you leave now without fulfilling the terms of your contract, I'll let everyone know that you broke your word. That an Amazon can't be trusted. You will need to stay for at least a few more months in order to not breach the contract." 

Her eyes flashed. Anger, he realized, and almost sighed with relief. She pushed herself up from the chair, slowly, until she was face to face with him. "Are you blackmailing me? Threatening me and the good name of Amazons?" 

"Yes," he said simply. He would do anything to snap her out of her emotionless state, even if what she felt was anger. And if in doing so he blackmailed her into staying a little longer, so be it. 

But then the anger in her eyes turned to hurt, and she sat back down. His gut twisted with guilt. He wanted her to feel something -- anything -- but he didn't want it to be pain. 

She looked at her hands. "Why?" She whispered the word, and he could see the tears glittering in her eyes. He had never seen her cry before. "Why can't you let me go home, and try to find some happiness?" 

He had to swallow past the tightening of his own throat. "Because I can't," he said finally, waiting for her to ask him why he couldn't, but instead she merely nodded and said: 

"Alright then. I'll stay until my contract is done." 

"Good," he said, because she had agreed to stay, and because she was no longer staring dully around her. Instead, she looked almost … normal, if a bit upset and angry. _At least she had snapped out of that_, he thought. Then, because he didn't know what else to do, didn't know what else to say, didn't know if he should tell her now that he loved her, he pulled on his mask and left the room. 

"She'll stay for a while longer," he announced to the others as he walked by them, and ignored their whoops of joy, their questions of "How long?" 

__

Long enough to for me to convince her that she should stay forever, one way or another, he vowed to himself. And he transported himself to the Batcave, and began planning. 

A plan to make Diana fall in love with him. Or back in love with him, if she had ever loved him once. And, above all, to help her find happiness on Man's World. 

He only hoped she would find it with him. 

********* 

Diana stared warily at the invitation. It had arrived not long after Batman had left, inviting her to join him -- Bruce Wayne -- at a play the next evening. 

Hawkgirl's eyes had widened when she had seen it. "I thought you broke up with Wayne?" 

Careful not to give away Bruce's secret, Diana lied, "Maybe it is some publicity stunt for the upcoming book." In truth, she didn't know what Bruce was doing. 

"Maybe he's had the hots for you this entire time, and he just can't resist your charms anymore," Hawkgirl mused, her eyes twinkling with humor. 

Diana's heart twisted at Hawkgirl's unknowing jab -- she knew Bruce could resist her charms just fine -- but she smiled anyway. 

Hawkgirl grinned back. "It's good to see you back to normal, Diana. You were walking around here like a zombie. I'm not sure what Batman said to you, but I'm sure grateful to the guy for bringing you back from the living dead, and convincing you to stay a little longer." 

Diana ran her finger back and forth over the expensive invitation. She would never tell Shayera the real reason she was staying, so she joked instead, hiding the pain she felt, "He told me that if I put in a few more months, I'd get free iced mochas for life from Starbucks," she said, and listened to Hawkgirl's laugh. 

When Hawkgirl quieted, she said, "So…are you going to accept Wayne's invitation?" 

Diana nodded. Was Bruce playing with her, or was there some other reason he'd asked her? "I'm curious about why he asked," she said truthfully, "so I will go. I'm flying to Themyscira tomorrow to return Penelope's bow, but I'll be back in time to meet him to see the play. I'll tell my mother then that I'm still deciding, that I could use a few more months to make my choice, then I'll be back." 

"We should go shopping for the perfect dress then," Hawkgirl grinned. "With your book contract, you are fabulously rich now. We should go to Paris tonight, and shop like crazy." 

Diana grinned back. Maybe such an excursion was exactly what she needed: she could get away from the Watchtower, try to escape from all thoughts of Batman for a couple of hours. In a way, being around Hawkgirl was like being around her Amazon sisters. 

It helped her forget, for a little while at least, how much her heart was hurting. 

********* 

Batman entered the monitor room, saw Hawkgirl at the console. She was speaking over the intercom to Diana, whom Batman could see on screen in the hangar area. 

"All systems are 'go', Diana," Hawkgirl said. 

Batman frowned. There were no alerts, no planned missions. "Where is she going?" 

"Themyscira," Hawkgirl said. 

Batman's heart dropped, and his head swam. He turned quickly and left the monitor room, running for the hangar. She was leaving anyway. Could he stop her in time? 

He couldn't let her go. He couldn't bear the thought of her leaving, the thought of life without her. His heart pounded in his chest, his stomach twisted in pain at the thought of losing her, not getting to the hangar in time. 

The engines were firing as he burst into the hangar room, and he leapt forward, into the Javelin seconds before the door closed. He rushed to the cockpit, where Diana turned to look at him in surprise. He slammed the ignition button closed, and the engine died. 

Silence filled the cockpit for a moment, as Diana stared at him, stunned, and as he tried to figure out a way to tell her… 

"You can't go," the words tumbled from his mouth, unplanned, harsh. 

Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Yes, I can. I have to." 

He closed his eyes, felt his throat tighten, forced the words past it. "You said you'd stay," he said, his voice accusational. No, his mind screamed, this isn't right. You are going to lose her. He couldn't. He had to tell her… 

"I know what I said. I just have to go--" 

"I love you." The words were hardly more than a hoarse whisper. "You can't leave. I … need you here." 

Her face paled, and her hands dropped to her lap. "But you said you could never love me." 

He shook his head, dropped to his knees in front of her seat, taking her hands in one of his. "I told Circe that. I knew you weren't her, that I couldn't say those words to anyone but the real you." He slid his other hand over her cheek, threaded his fingers into her hair. "I thought she was you when I said those words." 

Tears formed in her eyes, slid down her cheeks, and he panicked for a moment, wondering if he was hurting her again. "I'll make you happy, Diana, I promise. I'll teach you to love me…" 

"You could never do that," she said softly, and everything in him suddenly shut down. 

She could never love him. 

He untangled his hand from her hair, got numbly to his feet. He had gambled, and lost everything. He turned away, searching for something to say, suddenly desperate to leave. "I'm … sorry," he said. "I won't bother you again. I hope you are happy on Themyscira." 

He took a step, and she grabbed his hand. 

"No, Bruce," she said, and he saw for the first time that the tears in her eyes weren't of pain, but of…joy? "I meant that you couldn't ever _teach_ me to love you." She sighed. "Because I already do, so very, very much." 

His eyes widened in disbelief, and happiness like he hadn't felt since his parents had died swept through him. He pulled her to him suddenly, held her against him, breathed in the perfume of her hair. "But you were leaving…" he said. 

"I had to return Penelope's bow," she replied against his neck. "I was coming back." She pulled away slightly to look him in the face. "Why didn't you tell me this before? Why did you blackmail me?" 

"It's … hard to tell you how I feel," he began. "I've pushed people away, since my parents…" His voice trailed off. 

Diana nodded. "I understand." 

And he could see that she did. He pulled her close and touched her lips with his, a soft kiss that quickly deepened in emotion and passion. 

When he pulled away, he was out of breath, an unfamiliar condition for a man as in good shape as he was. He smiled. "So, did you get my invitation? Will you go out with me tonight, Diana?" 

She stared in wonder at his smile, so unfamiliar was it to her. She knew the smile was for her. Her eyes sparked with humor, and happiness. "I would, Batman, but I've already decided to go out with Bruce Wayne. He's taking me to a play." 

"That spoiled playboy," Batman growled. "He'll just treat you badly and tell you lies, Diana. I'm the much better man." 

She laughed, delighted by his joke, then quieted when he kissed her again. "I love you," she whispered when he finally lifted his head from hers. "Both of you," she grinned. 

"Good," he said shortly, in typical Batman fashion, and calculated that the space in the Javelin was just large enough for him to show her how much he loved her back. More than two men, more than a million men. 

And he locked the Javelin's doors, just in case. 

********* 

"Oh. My. God." Hawkgirl said. 

The Flash looked over her shoulder at the screen showing the Javelin. He could see, through the front windows of the plane, Diana and…Batman? 

"Oh. My. God." He echoed. "Is that…?" 

"Yes." 

"And they are doing what I think they are doing…?" 

"Yes." Hawkgirl studied the screen. "Batman's usually not this forgetful. His mask is going to come off at any moment. Along with everything else." 

They looked at each other, temptation reflected in their eyes. "Should we…?" The Flash wondered. 

They stared at each other for another second, then Hawkgirl said regretfully, "We really shouldn't" and switched off the monitor. 

"No," the Flash said mournfully, "but we may never get this chance again." He grinned. "To see Diana, totally naked, I mean." 

Hawkgirl laughed and slapped his arm, then stared at the blank monitor and mused, "I wonder if Bruce Wayne will be disappointed. I still think he had the hots for her." 

The Flash shrugged. "Who cares? He's just a rich boy with too many hot women anyway." 

"Yeah," Hawkgirl said. "I warned Diana about him from the beginning. Batman is a much better choice." She paused, then added, "A strange choice, but a better one." 

*********** 

In the Javelin, Bruce Wayne held Diana close. He had managed, somehow, to get the most beautiful woman, the most intelligent woman he knew to love him, and he loved her more than he'd ever dreamed possible. 

Despite Hawkgirl's musings, Bruce Wayne was not disappointed. 

And neither was Diana. 

Epilogue (because Kooky is such a sweetie)

Hippolyta sat on her throne, looking down at her daughter. Diana kneeled before the Queen of the Amazons, placing the bow and quiver of arrows at her mother's feet. 

"Rise, Diana." Hippolyta's words were gentle. As Diana stood, she examined her mother's face, saw the hope and anticipation that the queen was doing her best to hide behind her regal expression. 

Diana took a deep breath. She was going to disappoint her mother once again. "The Justice League thanks you for your assistance, Queen Hippolyta. Circe was injured; hopefully she will not return nor be a threat to Man's World for another three thousand years, if ever."

Hippolyta inclined her head in acknowledgement. "Circe is an enemy of every Amazon, as well as Man's World. If she should reappear, we will be happy to offer our help once more." She rose from her throne, held out her hand to Diana. "That is enough of that, daughter. Tell me of your decision."

Diana clasped her mother's hand. "Mother...I have chosen to stay in Man's World."

Hippolyta closed her eyes and sighed. "I was afraid this would be your choice." Tugging on Diana's hand, she began walking toward the temple's exit. "Come with me, Diana, to the armory. Bring Penelope's bow and arrows."

The armory. Diana's heart clenched; it was from the armory that she had stolen the uniform she now wore. The uniform of the champion of the Amazons. Did her mother now seek to take it from her? It was probable -- why would the Amazons want an exiled member to wear their most prized clothing?

Diana hadn't realized how attached she had become to the uniform, and for what it stood. It seemed a connection to her sisters in Man's World, before and after her exile. 

Her fears seemed to be realized when her mother began to speak. "Diana, you know our history, that long ago the Amazons were prophesized to have a great champion, one who would uphold the ideals of Themyscira, and bring the Amazon's message to the outer world." They walked past the temples and columned buildings, Diana's feet and heart growing heavier with each step. "When the time presented itself, we were to have a great contest, and our best warrior would become the Champion of the Amazons, and deliver this message to Man's World, wearing your uniform." Hippolyta paused. They had reached the doors of the armory. 

"Mother, I--"

"Silence, daughter." She looked Diana up and down. Diana felt like squirming under that gaze, which held the combined power of both queen and mother; but she faced her mother squarely, didn't flinch from the examination. Finally, Hippolyta continued. "When the gods gifted you to me, a child of clay endowed with special powers, I knew that the Amazons had found their champion. As you grew, and your skills surpassed every other Amazon on the island, I knew that the time for you to leave us was coming." Hippolyta sighed. "And I did everything in my power to stop it."

Diana frowned. "But, Mother, you did nothing to--"

"That is exactly the point, Diana," Hippolyta said. "I did nothing. That day, when we rode our horses on the beach, we both knew that times in Man's World were changing, and that they might need assistance from the Amazons. _You_ had no responsibility beyond that; _I_, on the other hand, did. I should have held the contest at that point. But I knew that even if I forbid you from competing, you would find some way to enter the contest -- you are too clever, too determined, not to. And I knew that if you entered the contest, you would win, and I would lose my daughter."

Shaking her head, Diana said, "You would never have lost me, Mother."

Hippolyta laid a hand on Diana's cheek. "But I did. For you took fate into your own hands, and when you finally returned, I had to exile you." She turned, pushed open the doors to the armory. Diana blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light inside. "And you will have to leave again, soon," Hippolyta added as she walked toward the empty pedestal that once held the uniform.

Diana's throat was tight, and she had to force the words past the constriction. "Do you want the uniform back, Mother?"

Hippolyta's gaze was even, calm. "Yes."

Diana nodded numbly, began to remove the tiara.

"But only for a short time," Hippolyta added. 

She froze in the middle of the movement, her hands alongside the tiara on her forehead, sudden hope rising in her chest. "What do you mean?"

Hippolyta smiled. "That it is time the Amazons held that contest."

Speaking softly, almost afraid to hear the answer, Diana asked, "Will I be able to compete?"

Hippolyta raised an eyebrow. "It seems only fair to me, the Queen of the Amazons, that the former wearer of the Champion's uniform should be able to defend her position, no matter how she came by the clothing, don't you?"

"And what of my exile?"

"If you win, it would hardly make sense that the Champion of the Amazons would be forbidden access to Themyscira. And if you lose--" Hippolyta's amused look betrayed her doubt of that happening "--there is nothing that forbids me, your mother, from visiting her exiled daughter in Man's World."

Diana threw her arms around the other woman, burying her face in her neck. "I love you, Mother."

"And I, you, daughter." Hippolyta pulled away. "Now, change out of that uniform, and we'll begin the contest immediately. The others have already begun preparing for it."

Smiling, Diana began removing her clothing. "Mother, if I had decided to stay on Themyscira, would you have held the contest?" she wondered. 

"Probably not," Hippolyta said. "But I knew that your choice would be to remain in Man's World. You feel too great a responsibility to use your powers to help everyone." She gave a wry smile. "And I felt certain that this man who you said did not love you would admit feelings for you. Who, after all, could not fall in love with you?"

Diana blushed. "Mother, please!" 

Hippolyta pretended to be offended. "What did I say? I know it is the truth." She handed Diana a toga, watched as her daughter covered herself. "Which one was it? The handsome, tall one with the red cape?"

Diana bit her lip, shook her head. 

Hippolyta frowned. "That's unfortunate. I was sure it must be him. Then it must be the strong man with the green ring?" She noted Diana's expression, tried again. "The noble Martian?" Hippolyta gasped as Diana shook her head again. "Not the clown in the red bodysuit? He could barely keep his hands off of Menalippe and Mara."

Laughing, Diana said, "No, not the Flash."

"Oh, Aphrodite." Hippolyta prayed. "That leaves the one in the dark costume. The Bat-Man."

"He is a good man, Mother," Diana said. 

"But must he be so...gloomy?"

Diana smiled and linked elbows with her mother as they walked back into the sunlight. "That is part of his charm," she joked, then added seriously, "He is a complex man, but he is not completely surrounded by the darkness."

"If he loves you, then that must be true," Hippolyta stated. "I just don't want to see you hurt as I was, Diana."

Grinning, Diana said, "He is a man, not the King of Hell as Hades was, Mother. Trust me to have a little better taste than that, and to learn from your mistakes," she teased. She noted the sudden determined expression on her mother's face, said in growing horror, "Oh...no...Mother -- you may _not_ come to Man's World just to test Batman."

Hippolyta smiled.

*****************************

"She was supposed to return three days ago," Hawkgirl said. 

The Justice League, with the exception of Diana, sat in their chairs around the conference room table. 

"Could she have changed her mind?" Green Lantern asked.

J'onn shook his head. "She was determined to come back."

"In any case, she would have returned the Javelin. But it's been hovering over the island the entire time."

"Do you think those women...did something to her?" Flash's tone indicated that the thought wasn't entirely unpleasant to him. 

Batman remained silent, but J'onn picked up on his thoughts, voiced the question that they had all wanted to ask. "Should we determine if she needs to be rescued, then if so, attack the island?"

"No need for that," a tired voice said from the doorway. Stunned silence greeted Diana's appearance. Although bathed and dressed in her uniform, bruises and small cuts decorated her face, arms and legs.

Batman's fists clenched. 

Noting his barely perceptible reaction, Diana hastened to smile and add, "I'm fine. Everyone stop looking at me like that. I would have waited until I healed to return, but I'd already been gone so long that it seemed imperative to come back before you..." She grinned. "Well, before you began storming Themyscira."

"Diana, what happened?" Superman wanted to know.

"Just a little friendly competition between Amazons," she said. "I won."

Hawkgirl smiled and leaned back in her chair. "And you didn't invite me?" 

Diana slid into the empty chair next to Batman, gave his hand a reassuring squeeze under the table. "Maybe next time," she promised.

*******************

"You should have let us know," Bruce growled, but his tone was proven false by the tender kiss he pressed to a bruise on her arm. 

"Even I didn't know," Diana said. Her injuries were quickly fading, but she didn't mind the extra attention that they were garnering her. Especially not _this_ kind of attention.

A cut on her thigh got the same treatment. "So your exile is over?" he asked. 

She smiled happily. "Yes." 

He frowned over a slash on her abdomen. "How did you get this?" 

Diana looked down. "One of the challenges is to dodge spears thrown at you by the sisters."

"You weren't fast enough?"

"Well, there were a couple of hundred of them, all thrown at once," she said. 

"All of the Amazons had to do that?" 

"Just me." Diana smiled, remembering. "My mother decided that the difficulty of my challenges should be in proportion to my powers."

Bruce nodded. "That seems fair." He put his lips to the injury, gently kissed it. 

She pulled him up against her and stared into his eyes. "I'm all better now," she said, smiling. 

"Not yet," he said. "But as long as the BatSignal doesn't light up anytime soon, you will be shortly."

"That sounds wonderful," Diana breathed, then slowly frowned. 

"What is it?"

"Bruce...if the BatSignal ever comes on, and you find my mother waiting for you...fight her."

He gave a short laugh, pulled back to study her face when he realized she wasn't joking. "Are you serious?"

Diana nodded and grinned. "Just consider it a friendly Amazon competition -- fueled by a mother's protective instincts."

He bent his head, kissed her. "All right," he said when he was out of breath. "I'll fight her."

"And you have to win," Diana warned. "You can't go easy on her."

"Oh, I'll win," Bruce said, watching Diana as she lay across his bed. "Just look how easy it was to take down the Amazon Champion -- her old mother can't be too much more difficult." 

Diana narrowed her eyes. "You're in for a fight tonight, Batman, and it is not with my mother," she said. 

He lowered his voice, became the Bat. "You don't have a chance, Amazon. I'll win." 

She rose to the challenge. "No, I'll win, Batman."

In the end, they both won. 

The End (II)


End file.
